Fatal Reaction, Survival

by M A Hollstein

  “He killed his mother!” Bill blurted out. His voice was shaky. His shoulders slumped even more. Amanda studied Bill’s face. His eyes were red and puffy. His jaw clenched and lips pressed tightly together. He looked worn out and broken. “Benjamin murdered Joanna.”

  Amanda was in shock. This was not something she’d expected to hear. She knew that Benjamin’s mother had died, but was unaware of how. She was unsure of what to say. She was at a loss for words, immediately regretting being so hard on him. He was doing what he could to help his son.

  “Bill,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t realize…”

  “He’s not Benjamin anymore,” he whispered. “And I don’t know what to do to help him.” Bill wrapped his arms around Amanda and hugged her closer. “And I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if he were to harm you.” For a moment they just stood there in silence, wrapped in each other’s arms for comfort. Amanda now understood why Bill let Susan and Liam take Benjamin with them. He believed that the aliens were the only way to help his son.

  ***

  Turning left on Mission Avenue, Mike noticed a black SUV driving in his direction on the wrong side of the road. It was coming towards him. It was Ellie. His heart began to race as he heard the loud engines of motorcycles.

  “Do you know them?” Jorge asked. He was sitting in the passenger seat. His sister was sitting on his lap since there was no backseat, hugging her pillow to her chest for comfort.

  “My girlfriend, Ellie, she’s driving the SUV.”

  “What about the guys on bikes?”

  “No.”

  Mike drove towards them. He noticed a silver Toyota truck was also following them.

  “I don’t like the look of them,” Jorge said. His sister buried her face in her ladybug pillow and whimpered.

  Mike didn’t say anything but didn’t like the look of them either. He quickly swung the Corvette around. He pulled over on the side of the road and waited for Ellie to catch up.

  Ellie looked out her window at Mike. She looked terrified. The two men on Harleys turned to get a good look at the Corvette. They continued to follow her, apparently not thinking two men and a little girl crammed into a Corvette were much of a threat. A red-headed boy that was driving the silver truck looked over at them, too. Mike pulled back onto the road and flashed his headlights at the boy. He kept driving. Mike flashed again and again. He laid on his horn trying to get their attention. Catching on, Ellie pulled over. The guys on the Harleys stayed on their bikes. The boy stopped in the middle of the street.

  Mike roared up alongside the motorcycles. They were only a couple blocks from the condo. He was relieved when they pulled over. He didn’t want these people to know where they’d been living.

  “Hey!” he called out his window to the motorcyclists. “Is there a problem here?”

  The one with the salt and pepper beard and red bandana glared at him over the tops of his sunglasses. “Who the hell are you?”

  Keeping the car running, Mike quickly opened his door and drew his gun. “I’m Sheriff Wilson. Who the hell are you?”

  The man chuckled, “A sheriff? Well, well, well, thought you all died out.”

  The younger man with darker hair smiled at him.

  “What do you want?” Mike asked.

  “This ain’t your business. You obviously haven’t had a good look around you Mr. Sheriff Officer. I’m the one in charge now. I give the orders. I make the rules. Police ain’t shit!”

  “You sure about that?” Mike asked, aiming his gun at Ronnie. “I suggest you leave these people alone.”

  Ronnie laughed. His buddy laughed with him.

  The passenger side window of the SUV rolled down, and the nozzle of a machine gun targeted them.

  Ronnie shook his head. “We’ll be back for what’s ours.” He spat a wad of chewing tobacco on the ground. He revved his motorcycle and drove off. The other man flipped Mike the bird and then followed.

  Mike held his stance as he watched them leave. Once out of sight, he looked over at the redheaded teen in the Toyota pickup. Ellie hopped out of the SUV and ran over to him.

  “Mike,” she said, as he took her into his arms. She was trembling. “Thank God. I didn’t know what to do. I was so scared.”

  “Are you hurt?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No,” she said while getting a good look at the kid that had been driving the truck. “Oh my God, that’s the boy I was trying to help. I saw him on TV.”

  “On TV?” Mike asked, turning around, eyeing the boy.

  “He was in trouble. I was trying to help. But it looks like he found me. Not the other way ‘round.” Ellie walked up to the driver’s side window of the truck. Mike followed. He tried to keep control of his anger due to worry for Ellie’s safety. They’d have to have a talk later about her leaving without letting him know. She couldn’t just take off without him knowing where she was going. Life wasn’t the same. Nothing was the same. It wasn’t safe. And they needed to rely on each other.

  The boy in the truck apprehensively rolled down his window.

  “Um, sorry…I…”

  “I saw you on TV,” Ellie said.

  “You did?” Aaron was surprised.

  “I went out there to help you. Then things got a little out of control.”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  “I’m just glad to see you’re okay.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Come back with us,” Ellie said, grabbing Mike’s hand and squeezing it. She then turned to walk back to the SUV.

  “Looks like you’ve been busy finding survivors,” he said, eyeing the Japanese man holding a machine.

  “Yeah, a little bit.” Ellie glanced at Jorge and his little sister in the Corvette. “Looks like you’ve been busy, too.”

  “Next time,” Mike said, taking her into his arms. “We go out together. No more just taking off.”

  Ellie smiled up at him. Her eyes locked onto his. “Were you worried about me?”

  “Hell, yes, I was worried,” he said, grinning at her. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He glanced up at the dark ship hovering above them. “Let’s get these people home.”

  She stared up at the ship and agreed.

  Once they were all situated in the parking lot near the garage, Mike and Ellie led everyone back to the condo. Ellie and Mike discussed living arrangements as they climbed the stairs. They were going to set up some of their guests in Ellie’s friend’s condo next door. That way they would all be close to each other, but still, have enough bedrooms for everyone. Ellie had a set of her neighbor’s spare keys in her kitchen. She felt odd taking it upon herself to be using their home for strangers, but in her heart, she knew they weren’t coming back. Mike opened the front door and Max went running inside.

  “Brad,” Mike said upon seeing the Marine sprawled out on the couch, sound asleep. “Sgt. Cooper is from Camp Pendleton,” Mike explained. As he approached the man, he noticed he was only wearing boxer shorts and blood had seeped through the bandage wrapped around his upper leg.

  “He’s infected!” Hiro said, pointing at Brad. “Don’t get too close!”

  “Mike,” Ellie said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “You brought an infected man here?”

  “Not purposely. He had a stab wound or so he led me to believe. Everyone back,” Mike instructed. He carefully approached the Marine and placed his hand on the man’s forehead. He was hot to the touch. “He’s got a fever.”

  “You need to get rid of him,” Hiro said. “Or we leave. You said it was safe here!”

  “It is safe,” Ellie said. “Just give us a moment.”

  “Hey,” Mike said, shaking Brad’s shoulder. “Wake up, buddy. Hey…”

  Brad’s eyelids flickered and then opened. Mike took a step back and stared at the man’s golden eyes. Without taking his eyes off of Brad, he pulled his gun from the holster. Brad blinked
at him. “Not feeling too well,” Brad mumbled.

  “You’re sick, man,” Jorge said, peering over Mike’s shoulder. “You got yellow eyes.”

  “Oh my God!” Ellie shrieked.

  “Ellie, take everyone next door,” Mike instructed, aiming his gun just in case Brad attacked.

  “But…”

  “Now! And lock yourselves inside.”

  “Okay.” Ellie grabbed the neighbor’s spare keys hanging from a hook in the kitchen over the counter. “Come with me,” she rushed everyone outside. Max followed, his claws clicking on the hard floor. Mike could hear Ellie unlocking the neighbor’s front door. As soon as he heard the door shut and the lock in the deadbolt turn, he nudged Brad’s shoulder with his gun.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were infected?”

  Brad tried to sit up and fell back over. He groaned and clutched his stomach. “I’m hungry… stomach hurts…”

  “Shit!” Mike didn’t know what the hell to do with him. He eyed the hallway and the spare bedroom at the end of the hall. Maybe he could lock him up in there. “Get up!”

  Brad groaned some more. “I need meat… meat and water… my antibiotics… pain pills... craving meat…”

  “Let’s get you situated in the spare bedroom. I can’t take the chance of you infecting one of us. Come on, get up.”

  Brad stumbled to his feet and almost fell on the floor. Catching himself, he staggered to the back bedroom, using the walls of the hallway to keep his balance. Mike could hear a rumbling in the man’s chest. He was prepared to shoot if Brad suddenly turned on him. Keeping a safe distance, he followed Brad down the hall into the back bedroom and watched as the Marine flopped down on the twin bed.

  “Hungry… need protein…” Brad moaned, rolling onto his side and clutching his stomach. He cringed as if he was suddenly struck with a migraine, pressing his hands over his ears. “Voices… voices so loud! Shut up!”

  “Okay…” Mike said, watching him. He felt bad, but he wasn’t sure what to do to help the guy. The man was obviously delusional. “I’ll go get you something to eat and your meds.” He closed the door behind him and entered the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of spring water, a box of stale cheese crackers, and then checked the guest bathroom in the hallway for Brad’s medication. He grabbed the bottle of Penicillin and the one containing Vicodin.

  Carefully, he opened the bedroom door, prepared for the worst, but Brad didn’t attack. He was lying on his side, clutching a pillow to his stomach. Mike opened the bottle of water and set it on the table. He opened both pill bottles and set them next to the water. “I brought some crackers.”

  Brad’s yellow eyes watched Mike, but he didn’t respond. Mike carefully backed out of the room, never taking his eyes off of the infected man. “You try to attack anyone,” he said. “I’ll have to shoot you. You understand?”

  Brad didn’t move. He didn’t even blink. Mike could hear the low rumbling coming from his chest. As he closed the door, Brad yelled out, “Hungry!”

  Chapter 7

  “Maybe we should find another place to live,” Amanda said, breaking the silence. Bill had used the garage at Walmart to put new tires on the car. Then they drove back to the apartment. Amanda had originally planned on going back inside the store to stock up on necessary items, but she was both mentally and physically drained. She hadn’t even wanted to bag and unload the cart of the stuff she’d already collected into the trunk of the car. They’d been sitting, in silence, in the parking lot in front of Amanda’s apartment building for at least ten minutes. Neither one of them knew what to say or what to do. Amanda was feeling numb.

  Bill sighed, “Yeah, maybe.”

  “Where should we go? Is there anywhere safe?”

  At first, Bill didn’t answer. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to disappear and leave his worries behind, but then he thought of Benjamin. He couldn’t leave his son. If they stayed where they were, then both Liam and Susan would know how to find them. If they left, how’d they know where to look? What if they were able to help Benjamin and he was long gone? He hated feeling like his hands were tied. Feeling helpless was a new sensation for him. It wasn’t something he was used to. And lately, he was feeling that way a lot. “Maybe we should sleep on it. Things might look different in the morning.”

  Amanda nodded. “Yeah, guess you’re right.”

  Bill popped the trunk so they could unload their supplies. Amanda grabbed as many bags as she could and made her way around the building and then up the stairs to her apartment. Once inside she set the bags down on the kitchen counter and frowned. With the turn of events at the store, she’d forgotten to get more bottled water. The tap water was still working, but she worried about the safety of drinking it. It was probably okay. She’d been bathing in it and washing dishes with it. However, the thought of drinking it bothered her.

  Bill came up behind her and set several bags down on the counter next to the ones she’d carried up.

  “I forgot to get water.”

  To Amanda’s surprise, Bill wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and gently kissed her neck. “We’ll get water in the morning.”

  “Okay…” Amanda tilted her head to the side, exposing more of her neck. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of his warm lips against her skin.

  “I know I don’t always show it,” Bill said, in between planting sensual kisses on her neck. “But I appreciate everything you’ve done for both Benjamin and myself.” Bill’s strong hands moved to Amanda’s hips and then caressed her backside.

  Unable to help herself, a small gasp escaped her lips. Bill quickly took a step away from her. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

  Amanda turned around, and their eyes met. Bill’s crystal blue eyes looked sad and tired. For the first time, Amanda saw a different side of him. She liked seeing the vulnerable teddy bear side. Bill was always so strong and sure of himself. It was nice to see he was human. “Don’t be sorry,” she said, and then smiled at him. “I liked it.” She lowered her gaze, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “We should bring in the rest of the groceries.”

  Bill unexpectedly took Amanda into his arms. His lips pressed against hers. Amanda’s heart thumped in her chest and butterflies awakened in her stomach. She’d never thought of Bill in that way before. She never expected the chemistry. Maybe it was the knowing that life as they knew it was crumbling all around them. Whatever it was, she was being swept away by an overwhelming feeling of love and physical desire. She’d never wanted to become one with someone so bad.

  “The groceries can wait,” Bill breathed into her ear. Amanda nodded her silent agreement.

  ***

  “He wants meat,” Mike said, rummaging around through the canned foods they were storing in the garage. “Says he’s craving it.”

  “Everyone is scared,” Ellie said, watching Mike. The thought of the infected Marine he’d brought into her condo made her feel uneasy.

  “We’ve seen enough of the infected to know that the fever seems to kill off all common sense. I’ve yet to see an infected person turn a doorknob.”

  Ellie frowned. She knew what Mike was saying was true. Every infected person she’d encountered seemed to have lost their ability to think. It was as if they’d been transformed into some kind of bloodthirsty animal. “I-I just don’t feel safe with him in my place. I mean, our place. Neither do the others.” Ellie had set everyone up in her next door neighbor’s condo. “Meat?”

  “Yeah,” Mike said, pulling aside a couple of cans of tuna fish, a tin of corned beef, and another tin of spam. “Wonder if this will work?”

  Ellie shrugged. “Mike, I don’t like that he’s asking for meat. Maybe that’s why the infected attack. They need iron or something.”

  “Could be a possibility. People have been known to have odd cravings when their body is deficient of certain vitamins or minerals.”

  “Mike, if he’s still able to think rationally while infected, and ask for meat, he
might be different than the others we’ve encountered. He might be able to open a door.”

  Mike looked over at her and noticed how worried her big brown eyes were. He put the cans into a medium-sized cardboard box and then took Ellie into his arms. He gently kissed her forehead. “I won’t let him hurt you. Promise.”

  Tears escaped Ellie’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She swiped at them with the back of her hand and nodded, “Okay.”

  “Since Brad is still cognitive, he might be fighting this virus. Maybe he’s on to something with his craving meat. His body might need it to combat this thing. Who knows, maybe the combination of antibiotics, painkillers, and meat will work. He seems to still be in control of his urges. Just give him one night. If he pulls through, there’s hope for us if we contract the virus in the future.”

  Ellie gnawed on her lower lip. She’d like to believe that was true, but she doubted it. She felt it was only a matter of time before Brad went berserk and killed someone. However, she liked Mike’s positive attitude. “Okay. One night. If he’s worse tomorrow, we need to move him.”

  “I’d like you to stay next door tonight while I keep an eye on Brad.”

  “What?” She pushed Mike’s arms away from her. “No!” she snapped. “I’m staying with you.”

  “Ellie,” Mike put his arms back around her, “it’ll make me feel better to know you’re safe.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone with him. We’re a team, remember?”

  Mike took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He was feeling guilty enough for bringing someone infected to their home. He didn’t want to put anyone’s life in further danger, especially Ellie. “Ellie, please…”

  “I said, no. I’m staying with you. Now let’s find this guy some meat.” Again, she pushed herself away from Mike and began to rummage through the cans.

  “Fine,” Mike grimaced. He knew it was no use arguing with her. She was going to do what she wanted anyway.

  “Hey, I forgot that I have a stack of canned dog food that I’d confiscated for Max. He hates canned food, but I figured I’d hold onto it in case we needed it. What do you think? I know that’s kind of gross to feed someone dog food, but it’s all meat.”