by Dawn, M. K.
“Maybe.” She climbed in the SUV, an empty feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. Something had been out there; she was sure of it. And for once since the world had fallen, she hoped it was an infested.
***
They drove from the hospital in silence.
An hour passed, and Sloan couldn’t bring herself to speak. All she could focus on was that room and those jars.
“Doesn’t anyone want to talk about what we saw?” Shifter’s voice boomed, startling everyone. “I mean shit, what the fuck, man?”
“We shouldn’t have left the way we did,” Axel mumbled from the front seat. “We should have grabbed the stuff we needed and shut it down.”
Shifter clutched the steering wheel. “Burned the entire building to the ground. What kind of sicko collects infested...is it their blood? Or their DNA?”
“Leaving was the smart thing to do,” Archer said. “We don’t want anything to do with that...that...shit-show back there.”
“Why would people do that?” Smith asked in a hushed voice. “Why drain the infested?”
Several sets of eyes fell on Sloan. “I’ve been trying to come up with a viable reason, but without further investigation on the matter, I couldn’t say for certain.”
“Guess,” Shifter barked.
Archer glared at the back of Shifter’s head. “Want to try that again?”
Shifter’s eyes darted to the rearview mirror. “Please.”
Sloan looked to Archer. “I don’t want to upset anyone.”
“It’s okay, Slash. If you haven’t notice, everyone’s already pretty upset. Not sure your theory is going to change that.”
She feared her theory would make it worse. “The black substance we found, that is the alien, the infested. We have no idea what it needs to survive but considering it was found on a thousand-year-old asteroid and still viable, well, we can conclude it probably remains dormant until it comes in contact with a suitable host.”
“Slash,” Archer squeezed her knee, “just give it to us straight.”
“Fine.” Sloan drew in a sharp breath. “There are only two reasons I can think of that someone would want to remove the parasite from its host: for educational purposes or to utilize it some way.”
“Use it?” Smith asked. “What could you possibly use that for?”
Archer hung his head. “A weapon.”
The SUV fell silent. No one spoke for several miles, each lost in their own thoughts.
Axel broke the silence first. “Why weaponize it? It’s not like anyone can control the infested. Why not just kill your target? Seems a hell of a lot easier to me.”
“Fear,” Archer said. “Can you imagine someone pulling a gun on you with that shit in it? Sticking you in a room with the people you love most? Threating to turn you into one of the monsters? I’d do just about anything to not let that happen.”
“Shifter was right.” Axel stared out the window. “We should have burned the place to the ground.”
“It’s not too late.” Shifter slowed the SUV. “I can turn around, and we could be back in less than two hours.”
“No,” Archer said with authority. “From what we can tell, there aren’t a lot of people around these parts. If they trace the arson back to us, we’d be putting everyone’s life in danger. It’s not worth the risk.”
“I agree,” Sloan said. “Right now, the people responsible don’t even know we exist. I would like to keep it that way.”
Smith crossed her arms over her chest. “Me, too. We have enough to worry about. Pissing off a group of crazy people shouldn’t be added to the list.”
“Fine.” Shifter hit the gas. “We’ll continue home, but this needs to be brought up not only to the Council but the town people. Everyone has a right to know what’s going on beyond our walls.”
Sloan didn’t appreciate the implication of his warning tone. “We weren’t planning on hiding this from anyone.”
“We’ll inform the council members but,” Archer said, “telling everyone? That’ll have to be a decision the Council agrees upon.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Shifter clenched his jaw. “You can’t keep something like this a secret!”
“Archer and I are in charge of security,” Axel said. “We need to consider all options and consequences. This is the sort of news that could cause panic.”
“Plus,” Sloan added, “we don’t know for sure what’s going on in that hospital. Providing inaccurate information is irresponsible.”
“You’re taking their side?” Shifter’s knuckles whitened as his grip tightened around the steering wheel.
“It’s not about taking sides,” Sloan argued, “it’s about keeping our people safe.”
“The only thing that keeps people safe is the truth.” Shifter’s shoulders tensed. “The Council needs to remember that when making their decision.”
Sloan had never seen Shifter so passionate about anything. “Did we upset you? I can’t speak for Axel or Archer, but that wasn’t my intention.”
“The government knew that this,” he waved his left hand outward, “was happening, and they said nothing. Tried to stop it from spreading by bombing cities and hospitals. Fucking idiots. Maybe if they’d told people the truth, we could have ended it. Known to stay away from people exhibiting symptoms. Or put them out of their misery. We could have fought back instead of running around all confused and trying to save people who couldn’t be saved.”
Sloan had never thought of it in such a way. “You’re right. By covering up the truth, the government did put its citizens in grave danger. The truth could have saved countless of lives.”
“What are you trying to say, Slash?” Archer asked.
“When the Council meets to discuss this matter, I will insist we inform the community of our findings.” She knew if the situation were reversed, she’d want to know the truth.
“Thanks, Doc,” Shifter said with a sincerity Sloan had never heard from him before. “I appreciate you looking out for us little people.”
Archer let out an exaggerated sigh. “I don’t see the point.”
Sloan didn’t get why he would be opposed to telling the town the truth after what they went through in The Bunker. “Archer, remember in The Bunker, when you were appointed to lead a mission to the surface?”
“Don’t think I’ll be forgetting that anytime soon.” Archer kept his eyes fixated out the window. “I lost several good soldiers that day.”
“Including your best friend who ended up being our patient zero.” Sloan wasn’t sure if any of the others in the vehicle had heard the story.
“What’s your point, Slash?” Archer asked, his voice heavy with emotion.
“My point is, if you were told the truth about what was happening on the surface, you would have been prepared. Wary of your surroundings.”
Archer ran his hand over his mouth, tugging at his bottom lip. “I see what you’re saying but providing a soldier with all vital information is different from telling a civilian. There are some people that can’t handle the truth.”
“It doesn’t matter if they can handle it. They need to know that there are other people beyond our wall. Potentially dangerous people. They need to be on the lookout. Our community has grown comfortable over this past year.”
“And in this world,” Shifter said, “comfortable will get you killed.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
They arrived at the small town of Myrefall seven hours later. The car ride had been lengthy, exaggerated by the silence. Archer had refused to speak on the hospital matter any further on the grounds of exhaustion. Everyone else followed suit.
“God, this town has become a shit-hole.” Shifter said, swerving to miss a gaping pothole. “How the hell did the road get so bad in such a short amount of time?”
“Watch out!” Axel gripped the dashboard.
Shifter slammed on the brakes, throwing them all forward. “What the fuck?”
Sloan unbuckled the locked sea
tbelt, anxious to get a better look at why they’d stopped so suddenly.
“Are they human?” Smith asked.
The two young people, male and female, huddling together in the middle of the road, didn’t seem to have any symptoms of the infested. Their ragged clothes and pitiful appearance made Sloan think they’d been living on their own for a while.
“I’m going to talk to them.” Archer stepped out of the vehicle, gun still in his hip holster.
“Alone?” Sloan scooted toward the door. “Do you think that’s wise?”
Smith followed Archer’s lead. “They’re just kids, Sloan. Scared and alone. Have a heart.”
“My niece and nephews are kids.” Sloan stared out the front window. “These people are not. All I’m asking is you proceed with caution.”
“We’ve got this.” Smith slammed the door.
Sloan turned to Axel. “Did I say something wrong? I don’t understand her hostility.”
“No. Smith just has a soft spot for teenagers. Her sister died at fifteen. To her, anyone that young is still a child.”
“But those two people out there aren’t children. Especially if they’ve been on their own all this time. They could be more dangerous than all of us.”
“It’s okay, Sloan,” Axel reassured her as he and Shifter exited. “We’ll watch their backs.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Sloan had no desire to wait in the car.
“Stay put. Let us handle this.” Axel closed the door with a weak smile.
Archer and Smith approached the adolescents slowly. Archer kept one hand on the butt of his pistol, which eased some of Sloan’s apprehension.
The adolescents made no sudden movement, even appeared to relax a little.
The four spoke for a brief minute before the girl burst into tears. Archer held out his arms, and the girl fell into his chest. The boy caressed his companion’s back as he continued to talk.
Sloan rolled down the back window of the still running vehicle. “Axel, can you hear what they’re saying?”
He took a step backward next to the window. “Bits and pieces. They’re twins. Didn’t catch their names. Sounds like they’ve escaped from somewhere or someone. The crying makes it harder to hear.”
“Escaped?” Sloan bounced her knee. “I don’t like the sound of that.” Not after what’d they seen at the hospital. “Do we know from where?”
Though Axel had lowered his weapon, his finger hovered over the trigger. “Not sure. Archer’s coming back. I’m interested to hear what he has to say.”
Sloan hurried out of the SUV and joined Axel.
Archer strolled over calmer than Sloan had seen him the entire trip.
“Who are they?” Sloan asked before Archer had a chance to speak.
“Mia and Eli. Seventeen-year-old twins from a few towns over.”
“Heard something about them escaping,” Axel said. “Didn’t hear from what.”
Archer scratched the stubble on his chin. “Some crazy religious group called The Children of the Apocalypse. Said they picked them up a few months back, made all sort of promises and refused to let them leave.”
“Do you think they’re telling the truth?” Sloan asked, not ready to believe such a horrible story.
Archer glanced over his shoulder. “They’re pretty beat up. The girl, Mia, hasn’t stop shaking. I guess they could be lying, but I don’t think so.”
“Now what?” Axel blew out a weighted breath. “Are we going to take them back with us?”
Shifter rounded the SUV. “Come back with us? Are you serious? We know nothing about them.”
“They’re kids,” Archer said. “Look at them. Can you honestly tell me you can just drive off and leave them here alone?”
Shifter’s face tightened. “They look like shit. And I don’t think I have to remind Axel about the last time we brought a stray home. It didn’t turn out too well.”
Axel narrowed his eyes. “If you’re talking about Susan, that was a long time ago. We’ve allowed a lot of people to live at the farm since then...without incident.”
“That the woman that was bitten?” Archer asked.
“Yep.” Shifter clenched his jaw. “Should have left her on the side of the road when we spotted the bite mark.”
“Hey!” Axel took a step closer to Shifter. “I did what I thought was right, and no one got hurt.”
Shifter puffed out his chest and got into Axel’s face. “I had to put a bullet in her chest.”
Sloan didn’t read faces well, but in Shifter’s eyes, she saw what looked to be pain and regret.
Archer moved between the two men. “This isn’t helping. Mistakes were made, but we’ve learned from them. No one enters the farm without being checked for bite marks. That hasn’t changed. You both okay with that?”
Axel crossed his arms over his chest. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Shifter?” Archer pressed. “You good with that?”
Shifter’s eyes bore into the twins. “I don’t know. There’s something about this entire situation that’s rubbing me the wrong way.”
Sloan felt the same way but assumed it was just her skeptical nature.
“They’re just kids, Shifter.” Archer kneaded his temples.
Shifter snorted. “Kids that just happened to show up at the exact time we were driving by when we haven’t seen any signs of people in months. Seems a bit suspicious to me.”
“Archer!” Smith raised her gun up. “Infested! A ton of them! We need to go!”
Sloan had been so preoccupied with the twins, she’d forgotten they were out in the open.
“Shit!” Archer readied his gun. “There’s too many of them. They’ll overwhelm the SUV. We need to find shelter and fast!”
“The med clinic!” Sloan pointed. “The previous supply runs have cleared it before.”
“I’ll grab the twins.” Smith took off, flailing her arms in attempt to direct the teenagers where to go.
Shifter rushed around the front of the vehicle and climbed into the driver’s side.
“What are you doing?” Axel screamed. “Leave it!”
“We can’t leave it out in the open like this.” Shifter started the engine. “I’ll move it out of sight. You guys get inside. I’ll be right behind you.”
A voracious growl echoed through the streets.
Archer grabbed Sloan’s hand and shoved her forward. “Run!”
Sloan didn’t hesitate sprinting through the parking lot toward the entrance of the med clinic.
Gun shots popped behind her, but she didn’t dare slow down. She could still hear boots slapping the pavement, which meant Archer and Axel were still close behind.
Smith and the twins reached the med clinic first.
“It’s locked!” Smith screamed, tugging on the handle.
“There’s a key.” Or at least, that’s what she’d been told.
“Where?” Smith ran her fingers along the door frame.
“I’m not sure.” Sloan scanned the ground around the door. “It has to be around here somewhere.”
“Get that door open!” Archer yelled.
“I could break the glass,” Smith shouted over the gun fire.
Sloan kept her eyes on the ground. “No. Then we won’t have a way to keep the infested out. Keep looking.”
“God!” Smith yelled. “Where are they all coming from?”
Sloan had resisted the urge to assess the situation, but she couldn’t help herself now. She peeked over her shoulder and gasped. Infested raced at them from every direction. A dozen or so had already succumbed to a bullet wound to the chest, but the dead barely made a dent.
It had been so long since they’d seen more than a few infested at a time.
“Found the key!” Mia shouted.
Sloan hadn’t even realized the twins joined the search. “Give it to me.”
Mia dropped the key in Sloan’s open hand. “Hurry.”
Sloan shoved the key into the keyhole a
nd threw open the door. “Inside!”
The twins didn’t hesitate rushing past her and into the med clinic.
Smith whirled around as the gun fire grew closer and shot off a couple of rounds. “Go, Sloan. I’ve got Archer and Axel’s backs.”
Sloan moved inside but kept the door propped open with her foot. “Hurry!”
The infested outnumbered them twenty to one, not including the ones Archer and Axel had already taken out.
“Inside!” Smith hollered, taking down two more. “I’ve got you covered.”
Neither Archer nor Axel hesitated holsting their guns and racing toward the med clinic. The men flew past the threshold and Smith followed, pulling the door closed.
“Where’s Shifter?” Sloan asked.
Archer squatted down against the wall of the poorly lit waiting room, sucking in air. “Haven’t seen him.”
“You don’t think he drove off and left us?” Smith asked.
“No.” Axel grabbed a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped the sweat from his brow. “He wouldn’t do that.”
Archer stood and spun around. “Where are the twins?”
“Right here,” Mia called out, her voice quaking.
The front door shook, and Sloan moved closer to Archer. “Do you think the door will hold?”
Archer caressed the small of her back. “Yes. But we should move to the back. Don’t want to tempt the infested.”
“What about Shifter?” Axel asked. “We can’t leave him out there alone with those monsters.”
“Technically, he left us,” Eli chimed in.
Sloan whipped her head around and scowled at the boy who they’d just met. “He didn’t leave.”
“You know that for sure?” Eli wrapped an arm around his sister and pulled her close. “Why didn’t we all just get into the SUV with him and get the hell away from here?”
“Besides the fact that we had two extra people with us?” Archer guided Sloan toward the exam room entrance.
She dragged her feet, eyes plastered on the door. Shifter and she weren’t close, and she didn’t particularly like the rough exterior he presented, but they couldn’t just leave him out there. “We should give Shifter a few more minutes. At least try him on his walkie-talkie.”