"Why would we need to listen to it?" He shot back.
"I think you know."
Carson's face darkened as a silent reply. The beeping went on for possibly another minute, becoming more eerie and foreboding with each periodic blare. She was gradually slowing her speed, knowing she'd more than likely have to pull over to gather her bearings.
"This is not a test. Repeat, this is not a test. Earlier today eight individuals infected with a contagious and presumed deadly virus have escaped Kansas City, infecting two civilians and injuring several officers. Alongside their contagion, they are armed and highly dangerous. Currently their identities remain unknown. If you spot a group of eight teenagers or a single individual with odd rings around their pupils, run and report your local authorities immediately. It is advised anyone within a fifty-mile radius of the downtown Kansas City area stay alert as well as indoors until more is known about their whereabouts." As quickly as the voice came it left, returning to the beeping for minutes before slipping back into static. Shay slammed her palm against the button, shutting it off before the cycle could repeat. Armed and highly dangerous. Contagious. Carriers. The entire state can classify me with six words.
A rest stop was coming up. Without thinking she took the exit, struggling to keep her attention one hundred percent focused on the road. Upon parking she let her forehead fall onto the wheel, keeping it there as she stifled back cries. She didn't want to cry in front of Carson again- the first time had been rough enough. She sniffled once, squeezing her eyes tightly shut, sealing the tears within. This simply could not be happening. Before long, the entire state, the entire country would know about them. They'd believe they were deadly and dangerous, not terrified teenagers. Once people caught wind of it, they'd show no mercy. But from other humans I cannot guarantee your mortality. If the doctor's words hadn't hit home then they had now.
Carson remained silent for a few minutes. Everything was going from terrible to significantly worse in just a matter of hours. At ten thirty they narrowly escaped with their lives. At one o'clock they were "highly dangerous and armed individuals." Only she, Marena, and Katrina had any experience with guns. None of them had the heart to intentionally infect another living human being, that was painfully obvious. To her, they were not highly dangerous. They were petrified kids running from a promise of death.
He slid over in his seat, stopping to rest his hand gently on her shoulder. "It's alright," he began, only to fall silent seconds later. He'd run out of words to say. Carson was never a good liar.
"No, no it's not. It's never going to be alright again." she choked, her voice catching on again. He sighed and scooted away. Neither of them spoke for a few seconds, suspended there in a nervous silence. The door on her left opened and humid air flooded inside, heat blasting her as if someone had just pressed a heater against her side. It would be so much better if it rained. Damn heat.
"Shay?" She recognized Marena's voice. She looked up, blinking a few times to rid her eyes of tears. Marena stood just outside, her long arms slack at her sides. Katrina and Kyleigh were hovering behind her, both peering curiously around her body.
She didn't respond, instead pressing the button on the radio before plugging her ears with her fingers. She could still make out the crude beeping as the three girls pressed closer, struggling to hear the emergency broadcast. After waiting several minutes she removed her fingers from her ears and jammed them against the button, silencing the static.
"Since when are we highly dangerous?" Marena spat. Her quick words could not mask the insecurity in her voice. Shay shrugged in response.
"Since we became a threat to the public's wellbeing." Carson muttered beside her. She pursed her lips, knowing it would strike a chord with Marena.
"We are the public!" Marena shot back at him.
"Not since ten thirty this morning we aren't," Shay spoke up. "We aren't high school students anymore. We're Carriers."
"Involuntarily. They're handling the situation like we're terrorists!" Marena argued, Katrina and Kyleigh bobbing their heads in agreement.
"No, they're doing what's necessary for the good of the masses, even if these so called "dangerous individuals" happen to be fifteen year old kids." She seethed, her voice growing more aggressive with each word. Her fingers were grasped around the steering wheel, knuckles gone white. Keep it cool. Don't let them know you're about to break. They'll be strong if you will.
Everyone fell into a hushed silence. Even if every person had a valid point they all knew they were being handled as public threats, teenagers or not. Teenagers had done some wicked things in the past- people wouldn't question the morality of it when their lives were in danger. Eight lives for billions. It almost seemed fair.
Before gunning up the engine again she forced herself to take a deep breath and gather her bearings. Once the engine roared to life Marena shut the door and returned to the back of the truck, Katrina and Kyleigh on her heels. The vehicle shook as she slammed the sliding door down.
Shay's foot found the pedal and she peeled out of the parking lot, barreling right back onto the interstate. The more distance between them and the city by nightfall the better. It was only a matter of time before someone, somewhere, found them, but for now it was best they continue on and she keep her pessimism to herself.
The good guys always win in the movies, and they most certainly were not the good guys to the rest of the world.
Chapter 8
They drove until shortly after dark, stopping at a rest stop and settling in. Most went directly to sleep, others waiting for their turn. Unless other sleeping places could be found, it was agreed they would sleep in shifts- in the current situation someone always needed to be on watch.
Shay, Carson, and Marena had the first shift. It had been three hours now, three more to go. It was almost twelve, meaning they'd have to make it until almost three am to be able to rest. She wasn't sure sleep would come easily for her anyways, which was why she volunteered to take up the first watch. Sitting upon the roof of the U-Haul could get boring quickly, having nothing better to do than observe every car that sped by on the interstate.
"I'll be right back," she said before slipping down the windshield and onto the hood, swinging her feet over the side and dropping onto the ground.
"Where?" Marena asked blankly, her eyes still fixated on the inky sky as she rested on her back.
"China," she responded sarcastically. Marena just shrugged.
"Bring back takeout," she replied. Shrugging she made her way across the parking lot, slipping inside the women's restroom to find, to her relief, it was vacant- she could finally be alone. Solitude was something she yearned for and needed.
She stopped at the sinks and rested her hands on the counter, eyes staring back into a mirror image of her own. The smudged dirt, bruises, cuts, and ragged appearance was not something she expected to see. She needed a shower badly, that she knew, but when she would get the chance to she had no idea. The dirt and dried blood made her skin crawl.
Turning the dial she filled her hands with water, wiping down her arms and face in an effort to remove the grime. She looked generally better afterwards, even if she could not clean away the thing she most despised.
The rings in her eyes were going to take time to get used to. Every time she examined her reflection, constantly fretting about her appearance she would recoil, taken aback by the eeriness. Her friends looked alien to her; as if another race had replaced the people she'd known. It wasn't normal for human beings to walk around with rings in their eyes, and it made them identifiable to a toddler. It would only be a matter of time.
Sighing she rounded the corner, heading back towards the door when she collided with someone entering the restroom. Stumbling backwards, she quickly accessed the girl- it was someone she didn't know. She stared at the girl for a few seconds, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, before she began to cough. Shay hadn't even given thought to the fact their collision had sealed the girl's fate. She w
atched the scene play out for a brief moment before a wave of disgust washed over her, the exact same feeling from when she'd infected the man in the city. Her knees felt weak and bile rose in her throat. Oh God, I've done it again.
She rushed past the girl, horror growing within as she broke out into the fresh air, sprinting back towards the U-Haul without looking back. Once again she'd accidentally infected another person, sealing the fates of people she would never meet again, dooming them to some sort of death she knew next to nothing about. It was almost better she remained oblivious to how the virus killed it's victims- she'd never know the kind of pain she'd put them through.
Rushing back to the vehicle she scurried up to the roof with the others, fleeing straight into Carson's arms. He embraced her, although he seemed rather surprised. He smelled like smoke and blood.
"It… It happened again! I infected someone else!" She whispered, voice muffled by his shoulder. He ran his hand through her hair, trying to comfort her to the best of his ability. Marena watched blankly, eyes transfixed on the scene.
"It's alright, I'm sure it was an accident," he whispered into her ear. She struggled to believe his words, even if she knew it had been. It just felt like somehow, subconsciously, she was doing it on purpose, as if the reality she'd been drafted into did not bother her in the least degree. Her lack of empathy wasn't a factor here- she'd just ultimately killed two people. She'd never once felt remorse for insulting someone, only this was different. This was about people's lives. Shay wasn't a killer.
"But she's still going to die," she said, her storm of emotions already ebbing away. Her distress were fading quicker than the previous time, as if she was starting to adapt. Everything had to evolve to survive.
"People are going to die whether we like it or not," Marena spoke up, her gaze on the vehicles that sped past on the interstate. "Let's just do our best to make sure they don't, alright?"
Two heads bobbed in agreement. Now, upon their limited knowledge, there were three living infected people, one dead, and one of three most likely in police custody. If the Carriers were unwilling, the virus might never get off the ground. She could only hope it would be the case. None of them wanted all that blood on their hands.
For the remainder of their watch they sat in silence, Marena stargazing aimlessly while Shay and Carson sat watching cars, his arm around her. Nobody had bothered to converse after the incident. There really wasn't a point- all eyelids were growing heavy, each of them struggling to fight the battle to remain awake. Carson's watch told them they had thirty minutes left, yet to three teenagers who'd woken up at five am the previous morning; it could very well have been an eternity.
Yawning, she examined the handgun in her hand. For a brief moment she allowed her mind to wander, pondering about how easy it would be to put it in her mouth and pull the trigger. End the tragedy her life was becoming before it really began, and doing so would save lives. The only thing that kept her from doing it was the fact she didn't really want to. It was nothing more than a mere thought, a mere "what if." Somehow this was her destiny, but that wouldn't stop her from putting up one hell of a fight to change it.
The next morning she didn't rise until twelve, far later than planned. Nobody seemed to be willing to take responsibility behind the wheel except for Shay, so, rightfully, they remained where they were. That was an hour ago- it was nearing one thirty, and she'd heard enough complaints from Marena about how hungry she was. She could only imagine what the others were grumbling in the back.
"Do you even have any money?" Shay asked sharply, examining the road signs that blurred past for gas stations or a cheap restaurant.
"I found seven bucks in the glove box," Marena responded, holding up a wadded five and two dollar bills in her hand. "It will at least buy me food."
"Maybe we should just buy like bags of chips at a gas station or something, it would be cheaper and would feed everyone," she pointed out. "I don't want to hear anyone else bitching in about fifteen minutes."
"Fine, whatever."
Moving into the next lane she continued to take an exit, knowing there was some sort of gas station directly off it. The place was next to abandoned with only a few cars scattered about. Parking the medium sized truck she and Marena exited, stretching their legs in the hot sun.
"Should we get them out?" Marena asked as she reached towards the sky, yawning as she did so.
"If they want to they'll get themselves out," she muttered, entering the store with her best friend close behind.
They went through the store quickly, grabbing as many bags of chips and bottles of water that seven dollars would purchase. It wasn't much, but it would be enough to hold off their hunger for at least a few hours. Marena was at the register ringing up while Shay hovered in the back of the store, searching for a newspaper that had any information on the Carriers.
She found one, the headline giving it away, and raced across the store to give it to Marena before she paid. She tossed it down onto the red countertop, halting a few steps behind the lanky blonde.
"Oh, and this too," Marena informed with a warm smile, trying to come off as benevolent as possible. As long as the employee didn't notice her eyes the situation would run smoothly. She slid the paper forwards just as the man reached to drop a handful of change onto the countertop, their hands brushing. Instantly Marena recoiled with an audible gasp. Bursting into action Shay closed the gap between her and her best friend, taking the plastic bag with the food contents in one hand and latching onto Marena's arm with the other. She dragged her out of the store as the girl fell silent, hazel eyes locked onto the man coughing behind the counter.
Marena thrashed until she was freed from her grip, tearing away and rushing quickly back to the truck. She slipped inside and buckled herself in, burying her face in her hands. Seeing her in such a state bothered Shay, as after all the girl she'd known for twelve years seldom behaved in this manner. She bit her lip, deciding it was best to get out of there quickly.
…..
Time seemed to pass quickly when one is zoning out of everything, must like the state Shay was currently in. The sun was beginning to sink low into the horizon now, melding into the hills as the last of its orange light set the treetops ablaze. Another day wasted aimlessly driving with no destination, no purpose. All she wanted was a bed to rest her head, but after the gas station and rest stop infections she couldn't shake the feeling they were leaving an all-too obvious trail.
Marena hadn't spoken a word since she infected the cashier at the gas station. After a while she and Carson switched, and for once, she actually had a long conversation while driving. It was about damn time, too.
"We're gonna actually sleep in beds tonight, right?" Carson asked as he propped his feet up against the dashboard, face becoming muted in the fading light.
"I hope," she responded while stretching out a kink in her neck. "I've been more comfortable sleeping in class than I was last night." Carson smiled.
"You do sleep a lot in class," he responded jokingly.
"If you got up at five every morning you'd understand." She shot back, the mention of her early rising evoking another yawn. She was getting tired, and fast.
Deciding to take the next exit she pulled off the interstate, scanning for any sign there might be a motel nearby. She didn't want something directly off the highway as it could be easy to find, so possibly half an hour of driving dark back roads led to a shady motel tucked away in the woods. Pulling up to it was less than pretty- the entire building looked run down and sketchy as the neon glow from a flickering vacancy sign flashed against the walls. Rooms were probably cheap, but if they didn't have enough there could always be other options.
The lobby inside looked almost identical to the outside appearance of the place, run down and shady. The clerk behind the desk was texting on her phone, not even bothering to look up when the bell dinged as Shay and Carson entered.
After combing over every compartment and rummaging through every pock
et they were able to come up with thirty dollars- they'd be lucky to get one room, yet alone three. She was just going to wing it and hope things went smoothly.
"Hi, can we have three rooms please?" She asked the clerk, who looked up at them before rolling her beady eyes.
"I only see two of you."
Shay pursed her lips, trying to bite back a snide remark. "Ma'am, I don't appreciate that. We have more people outside, but I don't think we have enough money for all three…"
"How much do you have?"
"Thirty dollars and two pennies."
"You can have one room but did you seriously expect me to give you two for free? Dumb blonde," the clerk spat, picking off some black polish from her nails.
Overcome by anger she whipped out her father's 9mm and pointed it at the woman's head. Her beady eyes instantly widened- Shay had feared the situation would come to this. She didn't want to have to use her fear factor, but she ultimately had no other options. They were going to stay here. She was exhausted and had no intent on driving to find a cheaper place to stay.
"Shay!" Carson said with surprise, taking a step towards her. "Don't do anything you'll regret." He warned. She looked to him briefly before nodding. She had no intent on killing this woman anyways.
"Alright, listen. Do you know who I am?" She spoke sternly, her voice cold as her eyes locked with the woman's, who shook her head limply. "Well, I'm sure you've been hearing lots about the Carriers recently. I'm one of them. I don't want to kill or infect you, and I won't if we can just have those three rooms. Now, if you call the cops my intentions will change, but we're tired and all I'm asking is for a place to stay."
"Like hell!" The woman screeched as she reached for the phone. Shay fired a warning shot into the wooden desk by the woman's hand, coming closer to it than intended. Her aim still wasn't one-hundred percent accurate. She gasped and yanked her hand away from the phone, eyes transfixed on the bullet hole in the wood.
"I get it, you don't want to give room and board to people everyone wants dead, but ask yourself this- if we really wanted to kill everyone, would you still be breathing right now?" She said, tone devoid of emotion. The woman's visage still had a look of utter terror, but she was reaching for something beneath the desk, looking as if she'd given it thought and come to a realization. Maybe her fear factor had worked- there was no way she would follow through with her threats.
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