Afflicted

by Susanne Valenti

I wanted to dislike Jason purely for the fact that he was Reese's best friend but it was hard to keep it up when he was so polite all the time. I often wondered why the two of them even liked each other so much; they were like chalk and cheese in so many ways.

  "That sounds good actually," I admitted. I hadn't thought much about food and Mom still hadn't been to the store. We'd had a message to say they'd be back late but I had no idea when they'd appear.

  "What are you getting?" I made my way downstairs, wondering where Lacey was.

  "Pizza. Do you know what you'd like?" He had his cellphone out, clearly ready to call the order in.

  "She's boring, she'll just have a margarita," Reese said before I could answer for myself. "Might as well get her a large to share with Lacey."

  I was so surprised that he was capable of considering Lacey that I didn't even respond to the ‘boring’ comment.

  "That would be perfect, thanks Jason," I said as I moved into the front room.

  "No problem." He dialled right away and I listened to him putting in the order as I pulled the curtain back to look for Lacey.

  There was no sign of her so I switched the TV on and settled down on the couch.

  The news came on right away so I flicked the channel over but the news was playing on that one too. And the next channel. And the one after that. I frowned as I gave up trying to find something else to watch and turned the volume up to find out what was going on.

  "-still taking place but the number is rising each hour. It's thought that the violent outbreaks are being caused by a chemical which found its way into the water supply.

  Early tests show a change in the chemical makeup of the sufferers’ brains causing violent outbursts and an inability to see reason. It is not yet known how widespread the contamination is and the public are being asked to remain vigilant. If anyone around you starts to behave in any way out of character then you must call the helpline so that they can be given treatment.

  The number is at the bottom of the screen and I must repeat; don't wait to make the call. Even a few hours could be the difference between someone acting strangely and turning violent. For their own good and yours, remain vigilant."

  "What's going on?" Reese asked as he entered the room and sat on the other couch.

  "It's about the water, they're saying something in it was sending some people crazy." I put a finger to my lips as I tried to listen to more.

  "Do you think that's what happened to the guy who attacked Devlin?" Jason asked as he joined Reese on the couch.

  "That would explain-" Reese began but I shushed him until he shut up.

  The news report had moved on to an interview with a doctor in a white lab coat with something that looked suspiciously like blood stains on it.

  "It's hard to be one hundred percent sure at the moment, but we are hopeful that the contamination was fairly localised. A very small amount of the toxin got into the water and its effects are only felt by two percent of the population. In short, ninety eight percent of people will be absolutely fine even in the small chance that they were contaminated. We caught this quickly and it looks like we will be able to contain it easily and cure those afflicted given time."

  The story moved back to the newsroom and the suited newscaster looked sternly into the camera.

  "Still no confirmation on how this contamination occurred but speculation is rife about potential Anti-Pop terrorist plots. How something with such possibility for catastrophe could have made it past the Monitor is a mystery. Stay tuned while the story develops and we bring you the latest news as it happens."

  "Shut it off," Reese said quietly and for once I did as he asked. The threat of terrorist plots had always hung on the outskirts of our lives but after what had happened to Devlin, this seemed a little too close to home.

  We sat looking at each other in awkward silence until the doorbell made me jump half out of my skin.

  I hopped up to answer it and found Lacey waiting on the doorstep. I pulled her into a hug and quickly closed the door behind her.

  "I was starting to worry about you!" I said as I led her into the kitchen to get us some drinks.

  "Calm down, I'm only a little late," she laughed. "Anyone would think I'd been missing for a week."

  "I'm guessing you haven't seen the news about the water then?" I asked.

  "No. Was I right about the terrorists?" she asked, sensing my anxiety.

  "Maybe. They don't know for sure but something got into the water and its making some people go crazy and attack each other. I think that's what happened to Devlin and when you didn't show up, I was starting to worry that someone could have come after you."

  "Wow, that's insane," Lacey said. "There were a lot of police cars out patrolling and I did wonder what was going on. I guess they're just keeping an eye out for the crazies!"

  "Why don't you just stay here tonight?" I offered. "You shouldn't walk back on your own in the dark with all that’s going on."

  "You might have a point," she agreed. "I'll call my mom and see what she says."

  I grabbed us a couple of cans of soda from the fridge and put them on the table while I waited for Lacey to get off the phone.

  I moved to the back door and slid the dead bolt across as a shiver ran down my spine. I tried to shake off the feeling but it wouldn't budge. Something horrible was happening in the world just outside my window and I wanted nothing more than to lock the doors and never have to face it.

  "She says that's a good idea but to call her if you start acting out of character - I guess we've gotta all keep an eye on each other for a few days just in case."

  I suppressed a shudder and forced an amused smile onto my face. "Noted. I'll lock the kitchen knives away."

  Lacey laughed but I could tell she was faking it. We were both rattled.

  "Stupid pizza guy can't find the house," Reese complained as he stomped past the kitchen and headed for the front door.

  I wanted to shout for him to stay inside but suppressed the urge as he opened it and went in search of the delivery driver. I could hear the faint buzz of a moped as it drove up and down the streets outside and guessed that was our pizza.

  I grabbed some napkins from the cupboard and snagged two more cans of soda from the fridge before heading into the front room again.

  Jason looked up from his cellphone as we entered and greeted Lacey with a blush. I dumped the sodas and napkins onto the coffee table and waited for Reese to return with our food. My belly rumbled in anticipation and I took a long slurp of my drink.

  Two male voices grew closer to the front door and I cursed as I realised he must have forgotten the money to pay the delivery guy.

  I hurried out into the hall, heading for the jar of money that Mom and Dad always left us for when they had to stay in the city. Before I could make it, Reese pushed the front door wide, carrying a stack of pizza boxes. He was followed inside by a man who was a good head taller than him and broad enough to make our hallway look small.

  My breath caught in my throat as I glanced down at my old, baggy pyjamas and bunny slippers.

  "Alright Katy?" Linc asked as he spotted me. "Reese said you've ordered too much food."

  My eyes found Reese and he raised an eyebrow at me as he smiled widely. I wanted to punch him so much that my fist actually closed in anticipation.

  "Come on through man, we're eating in the front room." Reese headed in and I remained frozen on the spot.

  "Nice slippers." Lincoln winked at me as he followed my brother and I dashed into the kitchen to stop myself from screaming.

  Lacey arrived as I was pulling an extra can of soda from the fridge and pushed the kitchen door closed behind her.

  "Oh my god!" she whispered excitedly. "He's gorgeous! I don't know how I'm supposed to sit in there and eat pizza in front of him without staring the whole time." She started giggling and I couldn't help but join in.

  "Can you believe Reese brought him in here? Look at the state of me!" I pointed at my pyjamas and Lac
ey laughed harder. I didn't care about looking like a slob in front of Lacey and Jason - they stayed at my house so often that it was unavoidable but this was completely different. I shushed her in case the boys heard us.

  "It's not too bad. At least you've still got your make up on and your hair isn't terrible."

  "Gee thanks, not terrible is just the look I was going for." I rolled my eyes at her as I closed the fridge. "I'm tempted to fake a headache and go up to bed."

  "Don't be silly, he's already seen you now. Would it help if I got ready for bed too?" she offered.

  "You don't have to do that..." I felt bad making her get changed.

  "Don't be silly, this is a sleepover after all. I might as well look the part. Mind if I head up and grab something?" She headed for the door without waiting for a response and I took a deep breath before going to join the boys in the front room.

  "Here." I handed Linc the can of soda and he smiled gratefully as he accepted it.

  I settled myself down on the floor by the coffee table rather than joining him on the couch. It wasn't like it was the first time we'd sat around a pizza box together but the time apart had put a distance between us that didn't seem likely to close again any time soon.

  "I feel like I should say sorry about your dad Linc," Reese said. "But he was kinda an asshole so I'm not sure it's the right thing to say."

  "I'm not sorry so you shouldn't be." Lincoln took a slice of pizza and started to eat.

  "How did he..."

  I glared at my brother. He had about as much tact as an elephant at the beach.

  "Liver failure. The booze was bound to catch up to him eventually."

  "Shit," Reese said by way of a response.

  "How's your mom doing?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation on from Reese’s unhelpful statement.

  "She's..." Lincoln glanced at Jason briefly before continuing. "Fine. How are your folks? I'd like to catch up with them when they're around."

  "Dad's crazy busy working on the air filtration systems in Harbour City," I said. "He's been working there a lot so they put him up in one of the apartments so that he doesn't have to do the long commute on the cable cars. Mom goes and stays with him quite often so that they get to see each other. They hate being apart which is kinda cute and kinda gross."

  "That's pretty cool. I worked a few security details for the construction workers when the terror threats were high. We didn't see that much of the city itself but The Wall ringing the city is insane. It's so tall that you can't even make out the top of it and its shadow stretches on for over a mile."

  "Security detail?" Reese asked before I could.

  "Err yeah, I joined up." Lincoln raised an eyebrow at us expectantly. "Didn't I mention that?"

  "I thought you went to juvie-" Reese began before I managed to kick him.

  Lincoln laughed but there wasn't any humour in it. "I think if the cops had gotten the whole story about me and my dad then I wouldn't have been the only one carted off. He made a deal with me. I enlisted and he dropped the charges. He got rid of me and I got away from him."

  Before any of us could respond, Lacey entered the room. She'd managed to find a bright pink pair of pyjamas with a unicorn on the front of them that I hadn't worn in about three years. She smiled widely, clearly pleased with herself and dropped down onto the couch next to Lincoln. Sometimes I loved that girl more than anything in the world. In one quick outfit change, she had managed to make my pyjamas look like a sensible choice. I mouthed ‘thank you’ to her while the others all looked her way and she smiled widely in response.

  "What did I miss?" she asked as she grabbed a slice of pizza.

  "Linc was telling us about being in the army," Reese said.

  "Marines," Lincoln corrected. He slid a finger beneath his collar and pulled a set of dog tags out from under his shirt, letting them fall on top of it so we could see them.

  Reese let out an appreciative whistle.

  "Oh really?" Lacey asked, her eyes sparkling with interest as she glanced at me. "So should we be calling you Corporal Walsh or something?"

  "Staff Sergeant Walsh if you wanna be accurate." A small smile played around his lips as he corrected her.

  "Really? How old are you?" Jason asked, sounding impressed.

  Military ranks didn't mean much to me so I took another slice of pizza and ate in silence.

  "Twenty-Four," Lincoln said.

  "Congrats man, that's impressive."

  "Military life suits me." Lincoln shrugged but I could tell he was proud of his accomplishments.

  "Are you on leave or something then?" I asked.

  "Yeah. I'm not sure how long for yet."

  "Do you think you'll be called back to deal with the terrorists?" Lacey asked.

  Lincoln looked up at her with a frown. "Which terrorists?"

  "The ones who attacked the water treatment plant."

  "I don't think that's what happened." Linc took a swig of his soda before continuing. "I wouldn't put too much faith in the news just now if I were you. They're more invested in scare mongering for a good story than they are in uncovering the truth. But believe me, there's no way an attack like that could have been planned and executed without the Monitor catching them out."

  "What do you think happened then if it wasn't terrorists?" I asked as I wiped my hands clean and sat back.

  "No idea. But they aren't calling me back in are they?" He shot me a smile and my heart thumped a little wildly in my chest. I got the feeling he might know more than he was letting on but his face didn't give anything away. "Anyway kids, thanks for this but I should be getting back." He got to his feet as he prepared to leave.

  "Do you wanna take some back for your mom?" I offered, ignoring the sting from the 'kids' comment.

  "That's okay, we already ate plus I had pizza for lunch. This was just an extra snack." He laughed as he headed for the door. "Enjoy your slumber party."

  "Aww man you're gunna miss the pillow fight," Reese laughed as he followed him out to lock up behind him.

  "Just give me a shout if you see the boogie man and I'll be right back." Lincoln laughed with Reese before I heard the door shut and my brother reappeared.

  "You get a good enough look then Lacey?" he asked a little coolly. "I thought I'd give you a front row seat so that you can give Demi a full report tomorrow."

  "Thanks," Lacey replied. "I got a good, hard look. But I think I probably prefer men my own age." She gave Reese a bright smile and stood up. "Shall we head up?" she asked me.

  "Definitely. Night boys." I waved to Jason over my shoulder and hurried after Lacey.

  We rushed up the stairs and into my room where I quickly turned the key in the lock to make sure Reese couldn't disturb us. Lacey jumped onto my bed and I climbed in next to her.

  "Okay so first things first," she said excitedly. "Your ghost is very much alive and he is insanely hot." She burst into laughter and I couldn't help but join in too.

  "Yeah and he doesn't even hate me."

  "No one could hate you babe." Lacey threw a pillow at me and I caught it.

  "This does leave us with a problem though," I said.

  "What?" she asked.

  "Now Demi's gunna want to meet him."

  Lacey groaned in agreement and we both laughed as we lay back on the bed.

  Chapter Ten

  Kaitlyn

  Lacey woke me by kicking me in the night. I mumbled some kind of curse at her as I sat up but her only response was a soft snore. I picked up my cellphone to check the time and saw a message from my mom.

  Mom 23:46 - The queue for the cable cars was crazy so we decided to spend another night in the city. I'll be back in the morning no matter what and I promise to stock the cupboards. Be nice to your brother x x

  It was half five and I wasn't sure that I'd be able to get back to sleep. With a sigh, I stood up and headed to the bathroom. I poured a cup of water into the toilet to flush it when I'd finished and washed my hands with the bottled water w
e'd collected from the park the day before. There was a message written on the label in large print saying 'emergency water for drinking or food preparation only'. What did they expect us to do though? Go without washing until they turned the mains back on?

  When I returned to my room, I found Lacey spread out like a starfish across my bed. I rolled my eyes as I headed to my windowsill and hopped up to sit in my favourite spot. I pulled the curtains back so that I could peer out.

  It was still dark outside but the sky held a faint blue tone that hinted of the dawn to come.

  The street lights were still on and the orange glow emitted by the closest one lit up a portion of the street below.

  As I sat watching the dawn approach, a large dog wandered into view. At first I presumed that someone was out giving it an early morning walk but the dog sat down and didn't move for several minutes.

  No owner appeared and the big dog slowly stood again and started sniffing at the entrance to our front yard. It moved down the path and paused by the big tree which stood sentinel in front of our house to relieve itself.

  The dog circled the tree with its nose to the ground before suddenly stopping and looking up. For several long seconds, the dog seemed to stare straight at me before giving up and wandering back out onto the street.

  I considered heading out to see if it had a collar so that I could locate its owner but something about the dog made me pause. Although it's movements were slow and unhurried, something about them seemed almost... purposeful. For some reason I got the impression that the dog knew exactly what it was doing and wouldn't appreciate being interrupted.

  As soon as the thought occurred to me I shook it off as ridiculous. I stood up to head out and find the dog but something else caught my attention outside.

  A man came into view along the street. He had pale skin and dark red hair which was messed up and pointing in all directions. He seemed agitated and I shrank away from the window nervously, not wanting him to see me.

  He didn't linger on the street but the way he was moving, staring at all of the houses as if waiting for someone to appear, made me uneasy.

  I pulled my cellphone out again and moved onto the hall as I dialled nine one one. I couldn't remember the helpline number that they'd shown on the news but my gut told me that I'd just seen someone who had been contaminated by the tainted water. The phone rang once before connecting me.