As they made their way, Alec marked the location of the pharmacy on his map, jotting down a few notes on a small flip pad. He tried to scribble down details such as directions, descriptions of the locations, potential supplies, resources, and dangers encountered in each area. He hoped that they wouldn’t have to make a return trip anytime soon, especially not at night, but if they did he wanted as much information as possible. Writing directions and descriptions of the locations would also help the others if for whatever reason, he was unable to make the trip himself. “One of these days I may not be around to go, and the rest of you need to have an understanding of our surroundings,” he had told their crew.
It was now almost midday and somehow the weather felt thirty degrees warmer than it been just a few hours ago. The sun was beating down on their backs, draining what remaining energy the two men had left. Every laborious step Alec took was heavy, like a child hung on to his leg, enjoying the free ride, sliding across the ground. It wasn’t just the muscle fatigue, it was the lack of sleep, and mostly the weight of Stephen’s death all weighing him down. Alec felt downright dreadful. It didn’t help that this trip was his thirteenth. Thirteen trips and he still wasn’t an inch closer to finding even the smallest clue o Alexa or her whereabouts. He was beginning to lose faith that he would ever find her. Letting go wasn’t an option. He would rather die than let go.
It was Kable setting their speed, and like a tri-athlete in the last hundred yards of a race, he was pushing through to the end. Although the former running back was in great shape, it was his worry over Sara that pushed him so hard. Alec was determined not to slow them down, but he was struggling to keep up with the freak-of-nature.
“I don’t see how you do it buddy,” Alec said as in gulped in deep breaths of air. Kable turned as he continued his brisk pace and raised one eye brow. “You’ve barely taken a sip of water, and you sure haven’t shown any signs of fatigue.” Kable continued down the path. “Sara needs me,” he said, not the least bit short of wind. “I get that, but you won’t do anyone good if you’re dehydrated when we get back.” Alec quickened his pace, pushing himself to catch Kable and handed his friend an open bottle of water. “Thanks,” Kable said as he downed one-third of the bottle in a single swig and then handed it back to Alec.
They had just crossed the last paved road, County Road 138, before entering the woods that would eventually open up to the field surrounding the cabin. County Road 138 was a winding blacktop with little more than trees and road kill. There were no obvious landmarks or signs to the cabin through the woods, only Alec’s knowledge of from years spent building forts and hunting. The woods were thick with pines, oaks, dogwoods, and every kind of thorn and sticker bush small prey could hope for. Stephen had suggested cutting several paths through the woods to make traversing them more bearable, but Alec wouldn’t allow it. He didn’t want others using the passages to find the cabin easier. No, if a few scratches and the occasional itch from poison ivy helped to insure their safety, it was well worth the discomfort. Sasha didn’t seem to mind it too much either, hopping over rotten logs and ducking under prickly thorns like she had been doing it her entire life, even with the hurt leg. She seemed in the mood to play, darting through small openings too low or narrow for Alec, and patiently waiting for him on the other side, nub of a tail wagging back and forth.
Twenty minutes later the two men and their new four-legged friend were pushing the last flimsy branches aside as they entered the clearing to the cabin, the light brown two story house sitting atop a hill in the distance. Alec’s father, Roy, had thinned out several hundred feet of trees in all directions, offering a pleasant and peaceful view from all sides of the wrap-around porch.
“Alec!” exclaimed Natalie, her voice carrying through the meadow to his ears like pollen to a flower. She must have spotted them enter the clearing, because she was already making her way down the hill to meet them. Alec felt his cheeks rise as the corner of his mouth curved upward. If there was one positive thing left in this world, maybe the only positive thing, it was his wife Natalie. He had seen how the death and the darkness had crippled grown men after the disappearance and ensuing abomination outbreak. It had caused some of them to take the easy way out, taking their own lives while others had abandoned their morals altogether. Yet somehow Natalie’s spirit, her hope for those taken, for a future without abominations, thrived, and pushing him and the others onwards.
Seeing his wife run to him reminded him that every drop of sweat, every ounce of spilled blood, was all worth it. Just the sight of Natalie revitalized him, like a soft breeze blowing a bed of embers, his fire returned and his legs regained their strength. There was still hope to find Alexa, to make a life again with his family and that was reason enough not just to survive, but to fight back. Together they would take whatever hell this world could unleash and to give it hell back. They would find those that had been taken from them. Alec just wanted to do more. He had to do more. He had to find a way to keep them alive and to find Alexa.
As Natalie came closer, Alec saw that her face was filled with a mix of dismay, worry, and relief. He held up a hand and gave a slight wave, ensuring her that he was fine. That didn’t seem to appease her, but she came to an abrupt halt about ten yards away. It took Alec a moment to figure out why. He followed her gaze and found she was staring at Sasha. The Rottweiler let out what was now becoming her usual greeting, a low growl.
“Alec, why is there a large dog following you and now growling at me?” Alec shrugged, not able to hold back a smile. “Natalie meet Sasha, Sasha this is my wife, Natalie.” The dog bumped him with her hindquarter which was shaking like an unbalanced washing machine and then licked his dangling hand. He kneeled down and grabbed her loose collar, twisting it slightly enough to get a firm hold, just in case. “Come on over Natalie, she won’t hurt you.” He lowered his head down by Sasha’s droopy black ears and whispered, “Please be good for me girl. Don’t show out now.” Natalie warily approached and extended a hand as if she were about to pick up a dead cockroach. Her unease with large dogs was evident, probably made worse by the fact that half the movies and TV shows they used to watch portrayed Rottweilers as mean and aggressive, which was unfortunate. Sasha surprised them both by holding out a paw. Alec, taken aback by the gesture, said, “See, she isn’t so bad.” Natalie shook the dog’s paw slowly with one hand while the other covered her nose. “I guess not, maybe once you clean her up,” Natalie said peering down at the dog.
Changing the conversation, Alec asked, “How is everything here? No problems?” Natalie answered, but still hadn’t taken her eyes off Sasha. “No real problems. I’ve been helping care for baby Luciano a lot since Sara can’t. It’s kind of nice to have a baby around again.” Alec didn’t know what to say. The thought of trying to raise a child in the midst of this nightmare was a terrifying thought. One he wouldn’t wish upon anyone. “God I miss her,” he said. Natalie response let him know that she must have been tracking with him. “Me too, Alec. More than you could know.”
A low growl interrupted the moment. Sasha was sitting on her haunches several feet behind them, apparently unsure about the latest newcomer. “Easy girl, it's ok. That is Mr. Pat coming down the hill,” he said as pointing at the stocky man who was favoring his left leg as he descended the hill.
“Let me take your bag,” Mr. Pat said in his slightly nasally voice, arm reaching for Alec’s backpack. The stocky man didn't walk well, but you never had to ask him to lend a helping hand. “Thanks Mr. Pat but I’ll be fine. Why don’t you update me on the last twenty-four hours as we walk?” Surprisingly, Sasha didn't growl again. Perhaps it was his smell, his peaceful demeanor, or maybe Mr. Pat reminded Sasha of her former owner. “I think I can handle that,” Mr. Pat said as he eyed Sasha. Alec saw his question before he asked. “Found her last night on our way back.” He nodded and moved on to Alec’s question. “You all didn’t miss much while you were gone. Sara’s fever seems to have gotten worse, and she is barely eating
. Natalie has been trying to keep her hydrated and spoon feeding her soup a couple times a day. Nick and I took turns on watch last night, but other than the wildlife it was pretty quiet.”
The trio began to walk up the grass covered hill when Natalie turned and looked behind them with a puzzled look. She stopped walking, still looking, searching the bottom of the clearing and along the thick woods below. “Alec, where is Steven?” Natalie asked.
Alec’s heart began pounding and his throat tightened. He had played out this conversation in his head a hundred times, but was never able to find the right way to tell her. “He…” Alec started. “An abomination...” “What do you mean? Where is he, Alec?” Her words came out quickly, higher-pitched than usual. She searched his face, his eyes, the same way she had just been searching the clearing. Alec paused for a long moment, searching for the words as he stared down into her gorgeous green eyes.
“The abominations. One caught us by surprise as we were gathering the medicine for Sara.” At this, Natalie stepped back, tears already begging to well and stream down her soft cheeks. Alec gritted his teeth, squeezing his fists into a ball and cursing as he looked up into the sky. Almost in response to his anger, the word flashed across his thoughts, bright as the sun itself... Infuse.
“How, Alec? How did it happen?” Her voice was high yet heavy, hesitant but longing. He shook the word from his head and dropped his eyes to the ground. Sasha was standing there, and he rubbed her head, more for his own comfort than for hers. “It all happened so fast, Nat. I tried…I tried to save him. We scouted the pharmacy and then cleared the building. Then…it was just there, pouncing on top of him. It was all I could do to stop it before it killed Kable too. That was just one of them, Nat. We’ve been lucky that a pack of five or ten or even more hasn’t made it out this far. I don’t know that we would stand a chance.” He shook his head as he fought back the sadness, the anger, the helplessness. The emotions tossed and turned inside of him like a turbulent storm.
“Alec you’re a good man, a great husband and father. You’ve been the leader that these people have needed, a rock for all of us. No one expects you to do any more than you’re already doing, and you can’t expect it from yourself.” Alec interrupted her, anger tinging his words, “I do expect more.” His voice elevated, “I can’t explain why Nat, but I do. I have to find a way to keep you safe, to keep all of us safe. What we have here at the cabin…it isn’t enough. We need walls, real fortifications, and we need more people. We have to find a way to fight back, to quit cowering in this cabin. We need to stop scavenging and start building.” Alec tried to calm himself. He lowered his voice, becoming more solemn, “We need hope, Natalie. Hope for a future where others can join us to begin building a future.”
Natalie had always been supportive, but her look was full of confusion and doubt. “Alec, look around. Just stop and think about what you’re saying. We’re barely surviving here. Look at Sara for crying out loud. Simple illnesses can now turn into something life threatening.” She paused, shaking her head at him. “I get what you’re saying, but Alec, I just don’t know…”
“I know it’s hard to imagine. I get that Natalie, but hear me out. I’ve been thinking about the prison down in Constitution. There is no telling what kind of condition it’s in now, but I can’t think of another place more secure than a prison. It’s surrounded by fences, has gated halls and cells, and if I remember correctly, some inmates were even required to grow crops. At the very least it could be a start, assuming the inmates are no longer there and no one has destroyed the place.” Alec knew by the look on her face he struck a cord with Natalie. “And if they are?” Concern filled Natalie’s voice. “I don’t know yet, Nat. Even if we had greater numbers I’m not looking to pick a fight. I don’t want to risk putting anyone in anymore danger than they already are. In the morning I plan on going down there and scouting it out.” She shook her head vehemently. “Sara needs Kable and I don’t want you going by yourself, Alec. We don’t know what’s out there, and you just freaking got back.” He pulled her close, pressing her head against his chest. “This is something I feel like I have to do, Nat. I’ll take the motorcycle and should be back well before dark.”
Alec and Kable had decided early on that it was best not to use the motorcycle unless absolutely necessary. The roads were dangerous, and in a world mostly void of man-made sounds, a vehicle just made too much noise.
“So you’re going to convince Kable to go with you?” Natalie asked incredulously. “No, not this time. I can’t ask him to leave Sara behind in her condition.” “What about Mr. Pat or Nick?” she blurted out. “Mr. Pat would just slow me down and Nick isn’t fond of leaving the cabin at all. I don’t want to push him into going on a trip like this. Not yet.” Alec pressed onward before Natalie was able to argue further. “It will be better this way, not having to keep anyone else safe. I can get there and back quicker this way.” He knew she wasn’t going to like it, but he had already made up his mind. “Alec, I just don’t know…” Alec cut her off, “I’ll be fine. If the prison works out, it will be well worth it.” She pushed her head back and looked up at him, “Promise me you’ll be careful and won’t try anything stupid. If it looks dangerous you’ll just leave.” Her soft face was slightly hardened, a look he had come to know over the years and knew she meant business. Alec tried to shrug off the heavy conversation. “I promise I’ll be careful. I love you,” he said nonchalantly as he gently kissed her lips. “I love you too.”
Hands intertwined, they made their way up to the cabin, Sasha following a few steps behind. As they walked, the wind whipped through the trees behind them and whistled up the hill almost as if were whispering into Alec’s ear. It whispered one word. Infuse. What was it with this word that the whole world seemed to want him to hear it? If not that, then why couldn’t he get it out of his head? What did it even mean? Infuse what?
When they had first gotten to the cabin, just days after the disappearance, he had asked Natalie and Kable if they had…heard anything strange during or after the disappearance. His wife and friend just stared in confusion, as if waiting for more of an explanation that Alec couldn’t provide. Alec didn’t go into too much detail, he just mentioned hearing a voice. Kable shrugged the question off, and Natalie said there were plenty of people around whose voice he could have heard. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was all just in his head, lingering effects of stress and shock or whatever the strange sensation that overwhelmed him before the disappearance. Perhaps somewhere deep down he wanted to hear a voice, something supernatural. Perhaps he wanted to believe in something bigger than himself that would reveal the truth of what was happening around him. Something that could help him find his daughter.
After cleaning and changing the bandages on Sasha’s leg, Alec put some water on the back porch for her and ordered the dog to rest up. He was about to walk inside when Nick, a fair-skinned kid of nineteen, came walking up carrying a few dead squirrels and an old twenty-two caliber rifle. Alec really didn’t know a whole lot about Nick other than what he had learned over the past week and a half. He was one of two in their group that he had not known before the disappearance, the other being Mr. Pat. He seemed to be a good kid though, and like Alec, had lost his parents to the disappearance. Alec was not much of a fan of inviting strangers back to the cabin, but they found him alone in a small town a few miles from the cabin while searching a mom-and-pops grocery. After speaking to Nick for nearly a half hour, he had lead Alec and Kable to a feed supply store, and they had eventually asked him to come back with them. Nick knew his way around a gun, mostly from hunting on his father’s farm land.
“Good to see you Nick,” Alec greeted the young man. “Hey Mr. Alec, glad to see y’all back,” Nick said. “Glad to be back. Looks like we’ll have some fresh meat tonight thanks to you?” Alec said, gesturing towards the lifeless squirrels dangling from his hand. “Yes sir, after I get them cleaned up.” Alec patted him on the back, “Thanks, Nick. I appreciate all the hel
p you’ve been around the cabin.” Nick seemed a tad embarrassed, and his eyes shot downward. “Just trying to do my part,” he managed to say as his voiced cracked. Alec appreciated his attitude and contribution to the group. It had turned out to be a wise choice to invite him back. “We’ll you’ve definitely been doing that. Thanks for keeping watch last night while we were gone too,” Alec added. “Was no problem,” Nick replied, looking antsy to continue about his business. “Well don’t let me hold you up. If you need help cleaning those just holler for me.” “Thanks Mr. Alec.” The boy walked around towards the wood table on side of the house, which had become the go-to for skinning and cleaning of the wild game.
Alec walked back inside to find Natalie organizing the food, water, and medicine gathered from their trip. She hadn’t always been so organized or eager to jump on menial tasks, but Alec had been impressed by how much she had stepped up to the plate since coming to the cabin. “Is Kable upstairs in the bedroom with Sara?” Alec asked. “I would assume so, but I haven’t seen him since earlier,” Natalie said as she continued sorting through the new goods. “Where’s Luciana?” Alec asked. “In the foyer playing with Mr. Pat. I told you he has been a big help taking care of her since Sara got sick. Honestly not sure how I would’ve managed without him.” “Well, I’m glad you didn’t have to. I don’t mean to be short, but I need go and tell him I’ll be leaving again in the morning. If you see Kable, please let him know I’m looking for him.” “Will do,” she said without stopping to look up.
“You look like a natural with that baby, Mr. Pat,” Alec said as he watched the older man bouncing baby Luciana on his leg. Mr. Pat chuckled. “Had plenty of practice with the grand kids, you know, before all this.” Alec had never considered Mr. Pat having grandchildren, but it made good sense. “Boys or girls?” Alec asked. “Two boys and a girl. All under the age of five.” A smile spread across his wrinkled face.
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