The Morgan Strain Series (Book 2): Point of Proximity

by Max Lockwood

  “Damn it,” Alec yelled, pounding his fists on the steering wheel. “I really hoped we’d left this shit behind in Seattle.”

  Elaina sensed that her companions were on the edge of losing it. The always composed police officer was nearly shaking in frustration and hadn’t slept in days. Cheery Will had a deep frown etched onto his face. Natalia had yet to snap out of her trance.

  “Let’s stay focused,” Elaina said calmly. “We can’t go exploring and we can’t keep driving. Let’s find a hotel and get a good night of rest so we can get up early and continue on our way.”

  “A hotel?” Will asked. “If we can’t even stop for fast food without being attacked, how are we going to sleep an entire night in a hotel?”

  “Rooms lock from the inside,” she explained. “The only way we could be attacked in our sleep is if the infected have the key to our room. Otherwise, those places are pretty secure. This town doesn’t have destruction like Seattle did. Let’s just see what we can find and try our best to keep calm.”

  Alec nodded and put the truck into drive. “This has got to be the early stage of the virus for this town. I saw a motel on the way in. I’ll see if there are any rooms available.”

  Elaina looked back at Will and Natalia. They were still shaken, but looked slightly more relaxed.

  When they got to the motel, Alec pulled into the vacant parking lot and reached over Elaina’s lap into the glove compartment. She jumped back, surprised by his closeness to her thighs. He fumbled around until he found the handgun that he was looking for.

  “Sit tight,” he ordered, loading the gun. “I’m going to make sure this place is reasonably safe. If possible, I’ll try to get a room for each of us.”

  Elaina nodded and watched him walk into the lit building. Apparently, the presence of lighting and electricity in general didn’t mean anything. The virus must have just struck the town, otherwise, the power would have been cut like it was in Seattle.

  “I don’t want to stay in my own room,” Natalia said from the backseat, her voice a little stronger now. “I’m not going to sleep alone.”

  “I’m sure Elaina will stay with you,” Will reassured her, setting his arm on her shoulder. They exchanged a meaningful look, much different than Natalia’s earlier looks of mild annoyance surrounding the boy.

  Elaina didn’t respond. In any other circumstance, she would have no problem sharing a room with Natalia. But she was infected with the virus. She hadn’t noticed any symptoms yet, but she also imagined that symptoms progressed quickly for the others infected, too.

  When she thought about it, it made sense that the infected people in the rage stage of the illness didn’t see it coming. Otherwise, why would so many people put themselves in the position to potentially injure or kill others, knowing that they were about to reach that point? Did they just go to bed at night thinking they had the flu and then woke up the next morning with bloodlust? What if the same thing happened in a shared hotel room with Natalia? She couldn’t risk it.

  Unable to explain why she was not going to share a room with Natalia, she just gave a noncommittal mumble. Hopefully Alec would have a solution for this problem.

  “Don’t worry,” Will said to Natalia, now gently rubbing her shoulders with his open palm, “we’ll find a hotel room and you can take a nice, hot shower and sleep in a real bed. Then, when we’re feeling better, we’ll get out of here. I hope we go to California. I wouldn’t mind spending some time in the sun.”

  “That sounds nice,” Natalia replied, loosening up. As goofy as he was, Will had a calming effect on her, something that Elaina didn’t quite have. She was thankful that Will could take on that role in her stead.

  Alec returned several long moments later, clutching two keys on large wooden key chains in his hand.

  “How did it go?” Elaina asked.

  “There was no one there. This place is pretty old school—they had keys lined up on hooks in a lockbox. They don’t have keypads or phone remote entry like most hotels do. I just went across the desk and took what I could find.”

  “The place is abandoned, yet you only have two keys?”

  “I have a feeling that if people caught word of an infection spreading through town, they didn’t take the time to return their keys to reception, especially if there’s no one there. There were a few other rooms available, but these two were the only adjacent rooms.”

  “Then give those to them,” Elaina said, pointing at Natalia and Will. “We can stay in the other rooms. I really don’t mind.”

  “I thought you were going to stay with me,” Natalia loudly protested, sounding like her old self again.

  Alec shot Elaina a look, immediately understanding what was wrong with Natalia’s hopes. He knew he could take on a violent Elaina if necessary. He wasn’t so sure Natalia could.

  “Listen to me,” Alec said firmly. He didn’t love having to take on the authoritative role in these situations, but things needed to go according to plan. There was just some information he didn’t want the younger two to know about Elaina just yet. “You two will share 205,” he said, handing a key to Natalia. “Lainey and I will take 206. If the phone system is working, call me if you need anything. Don’t open your door unless you’re positive that the coast is clear. You’re better off locking all the doors and staying put until morning. I want to get back on the road around seven, so set your alarm clock if you need to.”

  “Really?” Will asked, looking at the key in Natalia’s hand.

  “Don’t make me regret my decision,” Alec sighed.

  “No, it’s fine,” Will said quickly. “We’ll be ready to leave first thing in the morning.”

  Will and Natalia grabbed a couple bags of food and made their way to the room. Alec grabbed his supplies and followed them up the stairs.

  “Am I doing something wrong by letting them stay in the same room?” Alec asked Elaina as they walked to their room.

  “I’m sure it will be fine,” Elaina said to calm his nerves. She wasn’t really sure what the two teens would do in a hotel room alone. She had never experienced anything like it herself.

  The only concern Elaina had was that she was sharing a room with anyone while potentially infected. She didn’t want to risk losing control of her mental faculties, even for a second.

  The room was small, but sufficient for one night of sleep. It was dingy and sparse, but still a big improvement from the warehouse shipping containers and laboratory floor.

  Across from the queen-sized bed was a squeaky couch and a tiny table and chairs. The bathroom was next to that, with a small shower pressed against a toilet. The sink stood between the two halves of the room with a cloudy coffee pot sitting on the counter. Elaina made a mental note not to drink from it without a thorough cleansing.

  “You can have the bed,” Alec offered quickly. “I’ll take the couch.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I sleep on the couch more often than not at home. It’s not a big deal to me.”

  “Thanks,” Elaina said, bouncing down on the springy mattress. She wasn’t too concerned about the comfort of the bed—she was tired enough that she could sleep anywhere.

  “Do you mind if I turn on the TV? I can turn the volume down if you want to sleep now. I just want to see if there’s any update on the virus.”

  “Go ahead,” she replied, curious herself.

  He flipped through a few channels before stopping on an image of a smoldering Seattle. This image was then followed by various towns and cities in the area that were in the same state of disrepair. A ticker on the bottom of the screen gave a long list of major cities and counties with reports of infected individuals. Elaina didn’t recognize most of the places.

  “That’s in Oregon, that’s in Montana, and that one’s in Northern California,” Alec breathed as he read the news. “Apparently, the border closing didn’t work. It looks like we still have a long way to go before we are home free. I think we should head southeast now. Texas mig
ht be a good option for us. There are probably a ton of towns there with small populations.”

  Elaina watched the news and listened to the reporter, safe somewhere in New York, describe what they knew about the virus. Now, everyone in the country was being advised to practice caution in social situations. City employees in places as far as Ohio were sterilizing public places with strong chemicals. Clothing designers were beginning to create cute and stylish face masks to protect individuals from spreading or coming into contact with coughs and sneezes. Parents were pulling their kids out of school and spending millions to build and stock underground bunkers that could keep a person alive for years below the ground. Even in supermarkets, fresh fruits and vegetables rotted while canned goods were snatched off the shelves.

  Nearly every state had at least one outbreak. Quarantine centers and isolation wards in hospitals had been set up to take on the infected, but it wouldn’t be enough if the virus progressed as it had in other parts of the country.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” Elaina said, grabbing a scratchy white towel from the rack. “Fill me in on what I missed when I get out.”

  “Will do,” Alec responded, without looking away from the TV.

  Elaina turned the water on as hot as she could stand it and washed days of sweat and dirt away. She scrubbed at her skin with the abrasive washcloth and the cheap bar of soap until she felt relatively clean again. Her tangled hair took a while to wash and she wondered what horrific news she was missing out on in the meantime.

  After drying off, she wrapped the towel around herself and walked out of the bathroom, finger combing her hair in front of the mirror by the sink. She thought she saw Alec’s eyes meet hers in the mirror, but she could have been mistaken.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked after noticing her stillness in front of the mirror.

  “I look pale,” she said, touching her face. “I can actually see the blood vessels in my chest.”

  “Let me see,” Alec said, getting up from his spot on the couch. He craned his neck to take a close look at her exposed collarbone, lightly tracing a finger over the snaking blue veins.

  Elaina could feel goose bumps popping up on her skin, even though it was warm in the room. She hoped that she wasn’t feeling the onset of chills.

  “You’ve been extremely pale for as long as I’ve known you,” Alec said, standing straight again and returning to the couch. “You don’t look much different to me. Any other symptoms?”

  “No.”

  “Then I’m sure it’s nothing. You’re just looking for any sign of disaster. Get some sleep and I’m sure it will make you feel a lot better.”

  Elaina crawled under the covers, but couldn’t close her eyes, no matter how heavy her lids were.

  “What?” Alec asked, after noticing that she was looking at him.

  “I’m worried that things will progress in my sleep and I’ll wake up a different person.”

  Alec shoved a handful of chips into his mouth as he flipped through television channels. “You might, but, if you do, I’ll be right here.”

  “That’s the problem,” she whispered to herself.

  Chapter Six

  “This place isn’t half bad,” Will mused, jumping on the mattress, displacing the slippery floral bedspread.

  “You really think so?” Natalia laughed, scrunching up her nose. “This place looks like it hasn’t been updated in the last hundred years. Look at that wallpaper.”

  “I’ve never stayed in a hotel room by myself,” he said. “Well, without a family member, I mean. Maybe that’s what makes this so exciting. It’s like I’m on a mini vacation. I can do whatever I want.”

  “I think that’s a stretch,” Natalia replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. She felt a buzzing in her stomach, as if she were about to do something forbidden. She hadn’t even graduated high school yet, but here she was, in a rundown motel room with a guy who was older than she was. “It’s not like we’re going to an amusement park in the morning—we’re running for our lives.”

  “Yeah,” he chuckled, “but it’s a similar adrenaline rush at times. Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to return to my normal life, but this is certainly more exciting than my normal life.”

  “I know what you mean,” she said. “It’s exciting in a horrible way.”

  “Exactly. Sometimes I wonder what life is going to be like when we get out of this mess. Will our everyday life seem boring? Like, in ten years, will I be cooking supper for my wife and kids, longing for the days where I could deliver a sweet roundhouse kick to an attacker?”

  “When have you ever delivered a sweet roundhouse kick?” she asked skeptically.

  “Hypothetically speaking, I guess. But do you get what I’m saying? Do you think we will ever have a shot at being normal one day?”

  Natalia leaned back against the headboard and thought about his words. Like most teenagers, she had a pretty good idea of what she wanted her future to look like, but in an idealistic and romantic sense. She wanted to meet a guy toward the end of her college years, fall in love, and get married. Ideally, he’d be in the medical profession, too, so they could share interests and a decent income.

  Eventually, she figured she’d probably have a family and settle down in one place. She used to think that Seattle would be a good place to stay, but now all her good memories of that place were tainted. She’d have to start over somewhere else.

  “I think I could live a normal life after all this. I’m just so ready to forget this ever happened to me. I just want to get my high school diploma and move on with my life.”

  “What do you want to go to school for?” Will asked, slipping off his shoes.

  “Nursing,” she replied.

  “Not biology or chemistry, like your dad?”

  “No,” she said, scrunching up her nose. “I want to help people, not make people sick.”

  “I shouldn’t have said ‘like your dad’. Like Elaina, I guess would be a better comparison.”

  “No, I think the lab can be a really lonely place. I like to be able to interact with others. I can’t stand being alone or working in complete silence. I want to work closely with people and get to see the difference I’m making.”

  “That’s really cool,” he replied. “I bet you’d make a great nurse.”

  “Really?”

  “I’d let you take care of me any day.”

  Natalia’s cheeks flushed. She felt embarrassed by his attention. She wished that Elaina and Alec were there to take a little of the attention away from her. Not all of it—but just enough that he wouldn’t notice her blushing every time he flirted with her.

  When she looked up from the floor, she saw that he was blushing, too. This put her a little more at ease, knowing that he felt a little nervous being alone with her, too.

  “Do you go to college?” she asked, diverting attention away from herself.

  “I was at community college before my mom got sick,” he explained. “I was planning on transferring to a university once I finished my prerequisite classes. Money was pretty tight in my family and I wanted to lessen the burden on my parents. Now, I guess I’m left with the little savings they have left.”

  “What do you want to study?” Natalia asked, sensing a sore spot.

  “Computers,” he replied, his eyes lighting up. “I want to be able to program computers and write software.”

  “Really?” she laughed.

  “Yes, really. Why the look of surprise?”

  “I don’t know,” she giggled. “I always just assumed that computer guys were nerds who didn’t like to be around people. Sort of like my dad and Elaina.”

  “And you don’t think I’m a nerd?”

  “Of course not,” she said. “You’re talkative and funny. And you’re really cool.”

  He grinned, but didn’t venture further on that particular subject.

  “Is there a lot of money in computer programming?” she asked.

  “Oh, sure, if you’re go
od enough. Even today, there are still a lot of advancements in computer technology. In twenty years from now, I bet people will be shocked that viruses ever spread this quickly.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Before you know it, there will be no need to go outside. Anything we need can be picked out by robots and delivered to our homes by drones. School and work can both be done online because we can train computers and robots to do everything else.”

  “That sounds terrible. What about human interaction? I’d go crazy if I had to do all my communication through computers.”

  Will shrugged. “It seems crazy, but everything you think you need people for, you could probably do without.”

  “I disagree. I like companionship.”

  “Dating and relationships can be started online. Hell, it’s been like that for decades now. Even more intimate relationships are covered through virtual reality.”

  “Gross,” she groaned.

  “I kind of agree with you there. No matter how realistic technology gets, I don’t think anything will ever beat the touch of a woman.”

  “So, what you’re saying is, you’re entering a fairly lucrative career?” Natalia said quickly.

  “I’d say so. But, I need to get into a good school so I can learn everything I need to know.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Natalia said reassuringly.

  “If there are still universities left after the virus rolls through the country.”

  “If we survive this and there aren’t any schools left, then we can go to college abroad. If my piece of shit dad makes it out alive, I can guarantee that he’ll shove a healthy sum of money my way. We’ll go together.”

  “That would be nice,” Will said, resting back on the pillow. He tucked his hands behind his head and closed his eyes for a moment. Natalia took the time to study his face up close, seeing the tiny freckles that dotted his nose and his long, curling eyelashes. He looked young for his age, something that stress would soon take from him.

  “It’s so crazy how time continues to pass like normal, even if everything else around us has completely fallen to chaos. I mean, I was scheduled to have a math test last week and it came and went without so much as an email from the professor. In a few months, people will be canceling their plans for summer vacation because it’s too dangerous to leave home and be amongst strangers. We’ll flip through pages on the calendar without committing to a single appointment. It’s just weird to think about.”