by SM Olivier
Tonight at dinner, we had a little over a hundred people, with our new arrivals and those who had first taken refuge here. As I looked on, I recognized at least twenty of them among the dead.
I felt no shame as I stumbled towards my closest guy.
Wyatt pulled me in close and kissed my head tenderly. He let me seek refuge in him despite the fact he hadn’t wanted me out there. I understood his need to protect me, and I knew this wasn’t the last time he would fight me with my decision to be in the thick of battle, but at least he was showing me he would be there for me no matter what.
“Let’s get this little princess checked out,” Trevor interrupted my thoughts, and I looked up in time to see him walk down the hill towards the first-aid building.
He threw one look over his shoulder, and I knew it bothered him to see me with Wyatt. His reason for being out here seemed to sink in as I watched him walk away. He never took long walks unless it was to clear his head. I knew he wasn’t thrilled with Emery, but something must be keeping him with her.
He was a mama’s boy, through and through, in fact, Corbin was too. Their mother’s words held a lot of weight with them. Aunt Pam unwittingly admitting her belief that Emery would never make him happy must have affected him greatly.
Once again, a part of me felt sorry for him. His actions tonight demonstrated that, at his core, Trevor was still a nice guy. He’d put himself in danger to save a little girl.
“How did this happen?” Wyatt muttered in frustration. “Did the infected break our front gate?”
“No,” Axel said grimly. “I don’t think that was it at all.” He made no further comment to that cryptic remark before he turned to begin our sweep and clean up.
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Twenty-eight people. That’s how many people we’d lost. By morning, it was possible we’d have five more to add to the list. Five people had been bitten, one clearly to the bone, but Easton had fought to keep them alive. Uncle Mitch, Borris the contractor, and a few other guys had made a makeshift quarantined area. They were contained separately and would be delivered food and meds, but we didn’t think they would survive.
A little girl of six, who was now an orphan, broke my heart the most. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if she turned. She had clearly been bitten, but the marks didn’t seem to have broken the skin.
“I don’t understand what happened. How did we miss an infected?” Corbin asked as he sat down next to me, taking a sip of his coffee. “Is it possible that they don’t show signs before they turn?”
The sun was nearly coming up when we finished cleaning up and took our showers. We all made our way back to the dining hall, where almost everyone was now sleeping on the floor. Aunt Carol had erected a projector and put on children’s movies for the scared children, and Trudy had put out some coffee and snacks for the cleanup crew.
Most of the survivors of tonight's wreckage were down here as well. Only two of the cabins had been cleaned and ready for “campers” before disaster had hit. Now with both cabins being aired out because of the strong bleach smell and a lot of items ruined for reuse, we had more items to add to the list of things we needed to do tomorrow− well, technically today. Our list of items had grown as well.
“Maybe they hid the symptoms,” Kingston said as he took the seat on the other side of me.
Uncle Mitch, Borris, Axel, Corbin, Wyatt, Kingston, Trevor, BJ, Mike, and I were taking a brief break and decompressing after a harrowing night. Isa was safely tucked in my arms as I patted her back from the bottle she’d just had. Luckily, Stephanie, in her advanced pregnancy, was unaware of most of tonight’s “excitement.” It wasn’t until she came down to start breakfast that she noticed us all together.
I took Isa from her immediately and just held the baby close for a long time. The guys had taken turns cuddling her as well. It was like she was a reminder of how tenuous life could be and made us appreciate the sign of new hope and beginnings.
“I think it’s important we get walls erected in the cabins,” Uncle Mitch said wearily. “We can’t have what happened tonight happen again.”
From the accounts of the survivors, most of them had woken to people screaming. They could tell that the infected had been in the cabin with them. Unfortunately, the turn rate at night seemed to be accelerated faster than during the day. People had gone down from infected to raring to attack moments later.
“I’ll start working on it after a brief nap,” Borris reassured him.
It had been clear early on that Borris was going to be an asset around here. He had jumped in with both feet and hadn’t stopped when some of the others had− not that I blamed or faulted them. Regrettably, we had lost our plumber, and Donny’s skill for maintenance only stretched so far.
“Hopefully by tonight, we’ll have plenty of campers for people to sleep in,” Axel murmured as he handed me another cup of coffee.
Even after the rest of the cabins were cleaned out and ready to go, we knew we couldn’t force people to go back into the area that may bring back painful and horrible memories. As it was, Axel had determined we wouldn’t burn the bodies immediately tonight. Instead, a funeral pyre was built, so some of the people could say goodbye to their friends and loved ones.
A few of the newbies volunteered to keep watch over them. We wanted to make sure nothing living came in too-close contact with them.
Aunt Pam came into the hall, her face red, and it was clear she had been crying. Corbin hopped up and ran to her. I didn’t need to ask to know that we had lost another person. As soon as Uncle Mitch gave the all-clear, she had immediately gone to the med clinic. A few people had some bumps and bruises, so she took care of them while Easton took care of the severe cases.
Mike sat down with another carafe of coffee and took a sip of her own.
“That’ll stunt your growth,” BJ gently teased her.
Mike tried to hide a blush. “I’m five-eight,” she muttered. “I was already a giant compared to most girls in my class. A little bit of coffee won’t make a difference.”
The longer I spent with her, the more I realized her crush on Kingston had transferred to BJ. BJ seemed oblivious to it all and had teased her most of the night like a younger sister. It was also made clear that she wasn’t like most of her peers, and the few that had helped tonight seemed to treat her like a pariah.
“Being tall isn’t a bad thing,” I gently reassured her. “I know how you feel, but eventually you’ll realize most of your classmates were probably jealous of you.”
“Says the model,” she muttered.
I wasn’t going to take her words to heart. I knew she was just lashing out after years of being teased and bullied.
“She hasn’t modeled in years. That’s her sister,” Kingston joked before throwing a packet of sugar at her.
She picked it up and opened it with her teeth, shooting him a mock glare and poured it in her coffee with a smug grin.
Corbin came back as Aunt Carol ushered Aunt Pam away. He shook his head with apparent defeat. It hadn’t been an easy night for any of us. I leaned into him and allowed Wyatt to take Isa away from me so I could wrap my arms around Corbin and give him further comfort. He seemed to appreciate it as he pulled me in closer.
“We need to make sure we inspect any new people more thoroughly in the future,” Wyatt said with a deep sigh.
“Inspect ‘em how?” Mike asked solemnly as she took another sip of coffee.
“Chad and I made sure no one was marked or showing any signs of infection before they took a shower,” Corbin said in a weary tone.
“Who did it for the girls?” Mike asked as she leaned forward.
A sick feeling hit the pit of my stomach as suspicion entered my mind. Natalie had been directed to conduct the inspections. I knew how she loved to cut corners in the past and had no attention to detail, despite her military training.
I recalled Uncle Mitch asking Katie to help Natalie out, once Aunt Carol had called her out for her lack of
performance earlier. According to Aunt Carol, Katie and Nico, her boyfriend, barely did anything yesterday. Katie, Nico, and Emery had tried to behave as if they shouldn’t have to do anything, since manual labor was “beneath them.”
Katie had been going to school to become a lawyer, and her boyfriend was studying to become a game designer. They still suffered under the illusion that things would be better soon, so they didn’t see the need to improve our current surroundings.
“Burns and Katie conducted the inspections for them,” Axel said as steel crept into his voice.
Mike shook her head. “No, they didn’t. I was taking my shower when the new people began showin’ up. When Katie arrived, Burns told her to show ’em to their cabin. She sat with her phone, listenin’ to music the whole time the new arrivals took their shower. She never looked over any of them. I didn’t even think about inspectin’ them. I would have let you know.”
“This isn’t on you,” Wyatt stated grimly as BJ put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed.
She reddened once more and ducked her head.
Axel tensed up, his eyes full of fury.
“One of the girls was in my cabin,” Mike said with a horrified whisper. “Her boyfriend seemed really worried about her, but I thought she was goin’ through, uh… withdrawals. She reminded me of my mom when she was detoxin’, but maybe that wasn’t it at all. When I woke up to the first scream, it was from her end of the cabin. Once I realized what was happenin’, I opened the window next to my bed and began pushin’ out who I could. Then I rang the bell.”
I looked around. I hadn’t seen Natalie all night. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen Jade or Garth, either. I knew they were assigned to the campers’ cabins because they were single, and since it was the beginning of the season, very few cottages were ready to be moved into just yet.
“Where is she now?” Kingston stood up furiously.
“Let’s find her,” Axel bit out incensed. “Once I find her, I’m kicking her out.”
“I’ll get a vehicle ready for her and pack enough food and water to last her a week.” Uncle Mitch stood and headed towards the kitchens.
“I saw her packin’ up her bag with the another woman,” Mike stated with a frown. “She said she found a better place for them to stay.”
“Hey, Miguel?” Wyatt spoke into a walkie-talkie.
Miguel and three other people were manning the entrance. They hadn’t even realized what had happened until we inspected out the only point of entry. Of course, it was all intact. That’s when we knew for sure the infected had come in on the bus.
“Go,” the walkie-talkie squawked back.
“Did anyone leave early this morning?” Wyatt asked.
“No, sir,” Miguel responded immediately.
“Thanks,” Wyatt said before looking up. “Well, she’s here somewhere.”
“Let’s find her,” Axel commanded.
When Wyatt handed Isa back to me, I didn’t protest or even attempt to go with them. After the guys left, including BJ and Trevor, Mike came over to sit next to me.
“If she had just done her job, all those poor people wouldn’t be dead,” she said in a horrified whisper.
She surprised me when she allowed me to pull her in close for a hug. I had no words to comfort her with, though, because I carried the same guilt.
Chapter 23
I must have fallen asleep for a little while, despite the emotions running through me. It took me a moment to realize Isa was no longer sleeping on my chest and Mike was lying in my lap. I looked around, startled, afraid I had dropped the baby.
“She’s in the playpen,” Sylvia said soothingly as she handed me a cup of coffee.
“Thanks,” I murmured, blinking the sleep away from my eyes. “How long have I been sleeping?”
“A little over an hour,” Sylvia stated just as I heard raised voices outside. She grimaced. “They found Burns.” Sylvia may not have returned to the hall, but she, Joe, Cal, and Chad had volunteered to open their cabin up to those who chose not to return down the hill. I knew she’d had a sleepless night like we’d had.
“It’s all her fuckingfault,” Mike murmured as she stretched, then she sat up and winced. “Sorry for my potty mouth and fallin’ asleep on you.”
“You’re fine,” I murmured as I patted her.
In a short amount of time, the girl had really grown on me. If I had a little sister, I would’ve wanted her to be exactly like Mike.
She stood up and shook her head as if she were shaking her tiredness away. “I’m gonna go check on the girls.”
She was talking about the cows. I knew she was exhausted, but it didn’t seem to stop her drive and hard work ethics. I admired her, but I didn’t want her to burn herself out or think she needed to work herself ragged. She needed to be just a fifteen year old at times. I could see that we would have to monitor her to prevent her from over-working herself.
“You should eat first,” I told her as I noticed Trudy, Winnie, and Aunt Carol loading the steam tables.
“Chad and Sam are already taking care of them,” Sylvia quickly reassured Mike.
Another scream was heard from outdoors, and I couldn’t resist standing up to look out the window. I could see my guys, Uncle Mitch, Eddie, and quite a few people outside, with Natalie in the middle of the crowd.
Isa startled awake, and I scooped her up. “Shh, shh, shh,” I cradled her to my chest and gently rocked her.
It had been nearly two hours since she’d last eaten. Unlike formula, I found out, breastmilk didn’t seem to keep her full as long. I frowned when I realized I had left all her milk up at the cabin.
“Is Stephanie still in the back?” I asked Sylvia.
“No.” Sylvia shook her head. “Easton and Aunt Pam took her to the clinic to do an ultrasound. She doesn’t think she’s going to last another week, let alone two. She told me if you needed more milk, she has some in the fridge up at the main house.”
I nodded, relieved that Isa didn’t seem overly hungry yet as she settled back onto my chest.
“I guess I’ll go get some more milk,” I murmured.
“I can go get it,” Mike volunteered.
“No, thanks, hon. You eat.” I smiled at her as I headed towards the door.
I stopped short when I realized I would have to weave through the people still sleeping if I headed towards the side door. After their night, I expected them to want to get a little bit more sleep.
So I had no choice but to exit the front, and quite frankly, I wanted to avoid the latest drama.
Natalie needed to leave. Natalie had proven to be a liability to our community. Because of her carelessness and blatant disregard for a direct order, she caused a lot of people their lives.
I stepped outside, pausing at the sound of Natalie’s desperate cry.
“I did inspect them!” Natalie was crying as she fought against Kingston’s and Corbin’s hold. “They didn’t have anything on them.”
Natalie, Jade, Garth, and Nico looked like they had been woken up and dragged out as they were. I had a suspicion they had found one of the cottages to crash in. Just not any of the ones near us.
I knew they’d had an issue with where they were placed the other day, but they had lived in harsher conditions when they were overseas. I figured that after years in the military, they would have become accustomed to less than ideal conditions, especially if it was a temporary situation.
“What’s going on?” Katie came around the corner, slipping on her hoodie. She stopped short when she saw Nico shirtless and only wearing a pair of sweatpants. “I thought you had front gate duty.” She looked at him inquisitively.
Wyatt laughed humorously as he looked over at his sister. “Did you really believe that line? When has he ever done more work than he had to?”
It was no secret that Wyatt didn’t like Nico. Apparently, Katie and Nico had been dating for a year, and he had accompanied her to the 4th of July family get together last year. I had heard
Wyatt make disparaging remarks against Nico, and admittedly he rubbed me the wrong way as well. He behaved entitled, vain, and arrogant.
“Did you inspect the new arrivals yesterday?” Axel crossed his arms over his chest, looking intimidating, drawn up to his full height.
Katie looked further confused. “No, Dad told me to go help Natalie, and she asked me to show the girls the cabins when they came out of the showers. Why are you in your pajamas?” she looked at Nico.
Nico refused to look at her or respond as he glared at Wyatt.
“Because of your carelessness and desire to do as little as necessary, thirty-one people lost their lives,” Wyatt snapped. “Because of you two, some people lost their mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, parents. Are you going to explain to that three-year-old boy inside that you were the cause of his mom and dad dying and possibly his six-year-old sister as well?”
I cringed and tensed up as I realized the death toll had risen. Thank God for Mike’s quick thinking, because she had been able to grab the three-year-old in question, tossing him out the window when she realized what was going down. Who knew how many other people would have suffered had it not been for her?
“Wyatt,” Uncle Mitch warned him softly. I knew he wasn’t trying to excuse his daughter's behavior, more like he was trying to calm Wyatt down.
Katie looked crestfallen, and her eyes immediately filled with tears. “What are you talking about, Wyatt?”
“Did you really think we only wanted you to show people to their cabins? Didn’t you think it was odd that Burns was only sent to sit and watch people take showers? You’re going to school to become a damn lawyer, Katie! You graduated with a 4.0 average. How could you have been so dense, or was it just another way for you to demonstrate that you think you are too good to do any work?” Wyatt said with deadly calmness.
“I didn’t know!” Katie sobbed. “I just did what she told me to do.”
