Scarlet Memories (Book 2): Metamorphosis

by Jessica T. Ozment

  “Are you?” He finally asked her to confirm his suspicions.

  “I don’t know. I mean, I haven’t had a regular cycle since I was a kid. I would have no way of knowing.” Sam told them. Her heart was pounding with anxiety and her hands had begun to shake.

  Sam’s thoughts soon wondered over a little while ago when she grabbed the pregnancy test.

  “I might have a way.” She announced, holding a finger in the air. She opened her bag and pulled out the test to show Ian.

  “I just grabbed it out of nowhere. You can never be too safe. I’m glad I did.” She sighed. She didn’t know whether to be happy or not. She was completely in the dark about this one. She had no time to prepare and for God’s sake they were in an ongoing apocalypse.

  “Who would want to raise a baby in those conditions?” She mumbled to under her breath. Sam didn’t like feeling the way she did. They couldn’t stop for hours. She would have to wait it out and be left with her own thoughts. Which by this point were eating at her every second. Was she even ready for motherhood?

  Charlotte interrupted Sam’s thoughts.

  “We have to make sure we get you to this facility. There can be no exceptions. This baby has to have 100% professional care. No exceptions. He/she will be mankind’s saving grace. We can’t afford to lose this baby.”

  Sam listened to Charlotte’s words, which bore into her like knives. She seemed genuine with what she was saying, but she had lied to them the entire time they had known her. This whole thing was so confusing. Sam’s head began to feel like it was floating. Her blood pressure was rising and she could feel it. Mixed in with the anxiety she was feeling and she started seeing tunnel vision. The road before her disappeared and she started to faint. She couldn’t hold on. She fell limp in her seat and Ian pulled over.

  “What’s wrong with her?” He demanded of Charlotte. He assumed because of her background she would have some clue.

  Charlotte got out of the car and rushed over to Sam’s side opening her door and checking for her pulse. It was there, but much faster than normal.

  “She’s fine. Sam just passed out. Her blood pressure is going haywire. It’s normal with pregnancy along with nosebleeds. Just for future reference.” Charlotte added as she grabbed Sam’s bag and used it to prop her head up in the seat. She leaned her seat back further. Jamie was behind her so she could go further back than usual. She stretched her legs out and fanned her lightly.

  “She’s resting now. We need to hit the road again. She will be fine. We can’t afford to take a chance and stop for the night. She will be more than comfortable here.” Charlotte stared deeply into Ian’s and shut Sam’s door lightly. Ian had the feeling that Charlotte would be taking care of Sam for the time being.

  “Who better too?” He thought.

  “Alright.” He agreed. He pushed the car into gear and as Charlotte returned to her seat behind Ian, he drove off of the side of the road. He allowed his thoughts to wonder over the idea of being a father. He had always wanted it. But, never thought he’d have one on the way so soon in life. Then again, he never thought an apocalypse of this magnitude would plague the Earth but it was. He had a feeling Sam was pregnant. If she was, he wanted to prepare himself for what that meant.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Jeremy drove through the night without stopping. There was nothing but road before him, and the star filled night sky. It was gradually darkening every minute. He didn’t have much to occupy him, only his thoughts, which were more than deplorable. They were infecting him, causing him to second guess himself about everything. He had the seed of evil within him and he wanted to plant it and allow it to consume him.

  Jeremy wasn’t sure where the new feeling was coming from. It was overwhelming him and it felt good to let it win over his blackening heart. He not only wanted to kill Ian, but he also needed to kill him. That was all that drove him, not the will to exist. The rage inside him wouldn’t put a damper on the notion. It was the only thing pushing him to survive. He lived for it.

  Jeremy’s car came to a puttering stop at a small gas station on the right-hand side of the highway. He needed gas badly and decided he would check for supplies. Jeremy pulled into the lot and parked next to the gas stalls. He immediately ran over to the manhole covering the gas chamber below the store and wedged it open with a crowbar he had found. After a fair amount of work, he got the heavy cover off and threw it to the side precariously. He stuck his head down inside the whole taking in the smell of gasoline. It still had reserves in it. Satisfied, Jeremy then searched around the side of the building and found an old hose the store used for their watering system. He unwound it off of the wall and dipped it down into the gas chamber in the ground, placing the opposite end of the hose into an empty gas can. Soon it was filled and consequently started over-flowing. He dropped the hose instantly stepping back and bouncing into something firm behind him. Jeremy turned around and couldn’t believe his eyes.

  A giant mutated monster was standing in front of him. The very same monster that was chasing Ian’s van down the road earlier that day. It was very intimidating with its many limbs and huge bug-eyed eyes. It stood a full four feet higher than Jeremy, towering over him easily. Jeremy looked up and noticed how the creature had several eyes on him from above. Saliva dropped out of its smelly mouth onto Jeremy’s head. Jeremy flinched as he felt it slide down his neck and back. It was very warm and slimy.

  “What the hell are you?” Jeremy spat at the ugly creature loudly. He wasn’t exactly expecting an answer back from it, but Jeremy would like to know where the God-forsaken thing came from. The monster leaned down and pressed its many noses against Jeremy, smelling him starting from his neck up to the top of his head. Jeremy could feel the air circulating from its mouth and nose blowing on to his body with heavy pressure. He could even smell the rotted flesh coming from its body and in-between its decaying teeth. Jeremy took a closer look into its disgusting mouth and could see a bone stuck in one of its black back teeth. He thought it could have been a bone from someone’s index finger. Jeremy shuddered at the thought.

  The creature reached down with its gargantuan hand and gripped Jeremy’s shoulder tightly, cracking the bones between his fingers. Jeremy struggled under its massive hands. He could feel the searing pain get worse as the monster squeezed harder. Jeremy grabbed the gun at his side and pressed it to the monster’s temple as firmly as he could. He didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. The gun went off with a loud bang and smoke filled Jeremy’s eyes.

  As soon as the smoke cleared, Jeremy saw the creature’s red eyes were still staring back at him. His gun did very minimal damage to the undead. The creature was much too strong and could regenerate too quickly for Jeremy’s measly gun to have worked. Jeremy winced under the weight of the giant which was now boring down on him. Jeremy could barely breathe. The creature leaned in further and stared at Jeremy’s brown eyes. He could see that the monster had a very pale shade of blue underneath the red clouding its eye. It gave Jeremy the impression that someone human was inside the monster. It didn’t seem possible but “those eyes look human.” Jeremy reasoned.

  The monster reared back its enormous head and called out into the air. A massive roar bellowed out into the hills of the highway, far from the gas station. The monster sunk its teeth down into Jeremy’s neck and pulled away quickly. Ripping tendons and nerves as it yanked away from him. Blood ejected from the wound and splattered over the creature. It took a single dirty finger and lapped up the blood, shoving it inside its mouth and sucking down the juicy goodness. And stared down into Jeremy’s eyes as they began to fade.

  The monster could feel the human being absorbed inside himself. The more he ate of him, the more he could feel his presence in his subconscious. This was something that had never happened before. It was as if the creature was harboring a second mind in his brain. Even though his mind wasn’t entirely his as it was, now, there was a third mind here? Suddenly, a flood of emotions washed over the monster.
The creature let out another deafening roar and lifted its nose into the air, dropping what was left of the human’s body to the ground. It made a hard thud as it hit the parking lot ground. The monster felt different now. It harbored two foreign minds. The virus had a mind of its own and now someone called Jeremy.

  Jeremy felt himself being transferred into the monster. He didn’t have any control over what was happening. It was as if he were watching it all unfold before him in a movie setting. He felt he still existed but it was somewhere far away from what he used to be and he couldn’t control anything. There was just emptiness and darkness all around him. But, there was something left. It was the creature’s thoughts and emotions; stemming from its hunger and anger.

  Suddenly, thousands of images flooded Jeremy’s mind. He could see many of them were from the CDC where they were held captive. The creature was showing him its previous life. One image particularly that involved the woman from the CDC; the one who was traveling with Ian. The creature showed Jeremy what happened the day he turned, filling him in on the entire story. Reese, Jeremy had come to know was the creatures name before the change had happened; showed him all of his thoughts and emotions that he felt then and presently. Jeremy could feel the rage building within whatever was left of him. It was as if both of their agendas had been realized and connected. They both wanted to seek the group out. For their own evil plots.

  The creature with three consciences raised its enormous head and sniffed the air. It could still smell the scent of the dog that it had been chasing hours ago. On a hunch, the creature decided it would follow the dog. It turned in the direction that the smell was traveling from and darted down the highway. If ‘they’ made good time, they could catch up to the group and kill the woman/Ian. And they’d even have a couple of snacks for later, the boy and the dog would make tasty desserts.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  The gas gauge of Ian’s vehicle was getting low. Ian watched as the red meter ran down to the giant letter “E” at the bottom of the gas gauge. The rain had started bellowing down, and Ian felt that their scent was more than likely being drowned out by the storm. The monster was hours back in the opposite direction. Ian felt safe allowing the group a break from the car to stretch their legs.

  He lightly pressed down on the brake pedal and cleared his throat to announce that they were making a stop. The car came to a halt, and everyone darted out covering their heads.

  “Everyone needs to take a bathroom break now and make it quick. Jamie, you go with Sam.” He asserted, pointing a dirty finger in her direction. Jamie promptly let go of Charlottes hand and walked over to stand next to Sam as Ian told him.

  Sam had woken up several hours before, feeling much better. Her severe headache had dulled considerably, and she felt well enough to be a part of the casual conversation between the group. All that she needed, it seemed, was ample rest. Her blood pressure had returned to normal for the time being and she no longer felt anxiety and hot flashes. Ian was delighted that she was back to normal.

  “Ok, but I’m taking Lucy with me.” Jamie bartered as he pulled lightly on her collar, beckoning her to follow him into the rain outside. Lucy reluctantly followed with a wince, hopping out of the backseat.

  Ian glanced over at Charlotte through the rearview mirror.

  “Don’t wonder off,” He ordered her. Ian gave her a stern eyeing. He would never trust her again. Ian deduced that it was best to make her feel threatened. But, she had him by the balls already. Sam was more than likely pregnant and would need her assistance, especially with delivery. They were going to have to come to a happy medium.

  She nodded back at him and exited the vehicle, shielding her face from the wind and rain. It was beginning to pound harder on top of them, smacking branches and bouts of rain down onto the already flooding ground. Each of the members of the group took off to take care of their own business. Sam brought her pregnancy test and a cup. She walked passed a set of bushes beside the street. Not long into her trek, Sam started having doubts about administering the test in such wet conditions. So, she decided she would test the urine back in the car. Even if it wasn’t the most sanitary thing she could do. Sam found a suitable place to go and unbuttoned her jeans and bent down pulling the empty water bottle underneath her. After a moment she filled the bottle enough for the test and replaced the cap and headed back to the car. Most everyone was back except for the dog. Lucy was out going potty. The others were still hanging out outside of the car; Sam decided to use this opportunity to take her pregnancy test.

  Sam hopped in the front seat and carefully opened up the packaging. She gathered the dropper and test panel and positioned them on the dash carefully. Making sure to find the flattest surface she could. She opened the bottled urine and used the dropper to suck up a few drops worth. She then dropped three drops of urine onto the testing strip. Sam sat back and waited for the results. According to the box, it would only take two minutes’ maximum.

  Sam watched as the red dye stretched across the test strips panel, noticing the placement of the control line and where the line for a positive or negative would be. Sure enough, Sam saw the red line gather quite dark on both slots. This meant she was very pregnant. Her hormone levels were extremely high to yield such results. “I must be at least two months.” She theorized.

  Sam’s heart fluttered with an unknown emotion. She had never felt this before so, couldn’t fully understand how to process it. Under normal circumstances, she would be happy with Ian and the idea of a baby. The dilemma of being smack dab in the middle of an apocalypse made the idea seem faint and unattainable. She felt like it was all surreal and happening so quickly that she almost couldn’t keep up. What she really felt she needed was to get some rest. It was like her body just needed confirmation that she was pregnant to release the symptoms. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach and clammy all over.

  The rest of the group popped back into the car. They were all sopping wet from the rain and shivering as the temperature dropped significantly. Even Lucy was trying to shake her coat out before entering. Sam quickly put away her things and held onto the pregnancy test. She would show Ian once he got back inside. He was still busy loading the car up with gas from one of the cans in the trunk.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Lightening flashed across the night sky in rapid jolts and the rain pelted down on the group inside their car. Outside a powerful storm was brewing, picking up speed with every hour. The substantial force of the wind caused the car to swerve back and forth on the road. Ian pulled the map up to his face, ripping his attention away from the task at hand. He was guilty of trying to manage everything.

  Sam snatched the map from him immediately shouting, “What the hell are you thinking? You need to keep your eyes on the road. How dumb do you have to be?” She scowled as she tried to flatten the map. It was crumpled up from the struggle. Ian threw his eyes back at the road, placing both hands back on the wheel.

  “There!” He pointed at his hand.

  “Happy?” Ian snapped his neck towards Sam, daring her to rebuttal.

  Sam didn’t need an introduction to see passed what Ian was trying to do. He wanted to fight. They had been cramped up in the car for far too long.

  “Look, I’m sorry; I guess I’m being hormonal. I’ll work on it. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. Just let me look at the map. K?” Sam avowed. She wasn’t used to the rush of hormones changing her attitude. She could be a real bitch without intention. She would have to watch that.

  Sam traced the map with her finger. She was trying to get a feel for where they were. Judging from the map they only had a hundred miles to go before they reached the other secure destination. The group was more than ready to be done with the road trip they were forced to endure. Normally road trips included frequent bathroom breaks and time to stretch your legs and sometimes the occasional bite to eat. But, they had no time for any of that. Ian insisted that the group continue to push and take on the storm. That they
couldn’t be sure what the Wasteling was capable of. The storm would surely slow it down, but by how much, nobody knew. So, they drove on, only stopping for a refill in gas. Even then, Ian was the only one who got out of the vehicle. Since he became aware the he was going to be a father he took the extra initiative to keep everyone safe, even if that meant Charlotte, too. He wanted her help in keeping Sam and the baby away from harm.

  Ian shot an eye at Charlotte in the backseat. She was holding Jamie around his arms. Seeing her show affection for him caused Ian to think about his own child. It didn’t take him long to start thinking about everything in three’s. It wouldn’t just be the pair of them anymore. The idea was beginning to grow on him; it was nice to feel needed. He had to keep reminding himself that Jamie was now their responsibility. He wouldn’t allow Charlotte the satisfaction of keeping him. That’s what she wanted more than anything; to take care of him. She saw him as nothing more than just another helpless lab rat. She proved time and time again that, she only cared about the science. Charlotte was NOT the best person to be raising a boy in his condition.

  A white hot bolt of lightning flashed above the car. The group jumped as a loud crack broke the silence, changing the mood drastically. The lightening hastily hit a large oak tree that was situated near the highway, causing it to immediately hit the ground. Ian swerved the wheel generously, moving around the battered tree. As it fell, it broke off into two large pieces. One-half went flying far into the road. Ian narrowly missed colliding with it. He straightened the wheel, maneuvering around broken limbs and hefty pieces of trunk and continued to drive on. He took a deep breath and looked at Sam. He knew what she was thinking. Ian could tell by the look on her face that she wanted to stop. He knew the feeling. The lightening had scared him too.