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

by Max Lockwood

  Victoria raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, I’d say your skepticism is well warranted. I want to give these people a chance, but I’m not afraid to admit that I’m keeping a careful eye on things. It’s just best to be ready and prepared for anything.”

  “I’m glad you get it,” Natalia said before she heard footsteps nearing the door. It swung open, and the mother and daughter returned, bandages stuck to the crook of their arm. The girl was quietly licking a lollipop, no worse for wear.

  “Victoria,” the mother said softly. “You’re next. There’s someone waiting outside to escort you to the clinic.”

  “Thanks,” Victoria said, gliding to the door. She turned around and gave Natalia a knowing smile before exiting the room.

  Natalia debated asking the woman what the medical test had been like. She wasn’t afraid of needles or anything like that, but she hated going in to new situations without any idea of what to expect. The woman’s general disinterest in the other residents wasn’t doing much to ease her nerves.

  “What was the test like?” Natalia squeaked out, suddenly feeling intimidated by the woman.

  “What?” she asked, apparently surprised that someone was speaking to her. “Oh, it was nothing.”

  “Really?”

  “It was your standard physical and blood test. It didn’t last long. The worst part was the blood test, but, if you’re good, they’ll give you a lollipop.”

  Natalia wasn’t sure if the woman meant to be patronizing, but she was suddenly annoyed and regretted even asking.

  “Okay,” Natalia said shortly. “Thanks.”

  She sat back down on her bed and counted the floor tiles. Then, she counted the tiny squares again to pass the time. Finally, Naomi reentered the room.

  “You’re up,” she said cheerfully, gesturing toward the door. Natalia got up and dragged her feet to the open doorway.

  In the hall, the tall, lanky soldier was waiting for her, a clipboard in hand.

  “Natalia Vincent?” he asked.

  “Yep.”

  “It’s time for your exam. Follow me.”

  He swung open the wire gate on the hallway and escorted Natalia down the hall. As she walked, she turned back to look at the barricade, hoping to catch a glimpse of Will.

  “What’s the exam for?” she asked, trying to keep up with the soldier’s long strides.

  “A few things, but mostly to make sure that no one in our charge is infected with the virus. It’s a safety precaution.”

  She nodded and continued walking in silence. She wanted to ask about Will, but didn’t want to test her luck, especially when she was about to get stuck with a needle.

  They walked through the halls of the community center and out the front door. The switch from artificial light to natural sunlight blinded her for a moment. But, before her eyes could adjust, they had walked across the street, up the block, and into a small medical clinic.

  She expected to walk into an empty clinic, but was surprised to see a lot more people than she’d realized existed at the compound. Men and women in white coats walked down the halls carrying paperwork and specimen containers.

  “Who are all these people?” Natalia asked the soldier escorting her.

  “Just a few members of our medical staff,” he shrugged.

  “I thought there were only three of you in this organization.”

  He scoffed. “We’re just part of the recon team. There’s more of us with a similar vision. We’re small, but powerful.”

  With that, she closed her mouth and followed him into an examination room and sat down on the white paper covering the table. She was happy to see that Victoria was still there on the adjacent table.

  “Hi, Natalia,” the doctor said looking at his chart. “I’m Dr. Khalid. I’m going to do a short examination on you to make sure you aren’t infected and are in good health. Is that okay?”

  “What happens if I say no?” she asked, squinting at the cheerful man.

  “That isn’t my area of expertise,” he concluded. “You’d have to take that up with another member of our organization.”

  She knew that was a kind way of telling her that she wasn’t able to refuse.

  “Fine, I consent, but can you answer a question for me?”

  “Sure.”

  “Have you seen Will Domenica yet? Is he on your list?”

  “All patient information is confidential,” the doctor smiled.

  “Says who?” she scoffed. “Isn’t the whole concept of this to break away from the government?”

  “I still have a code of ethics that I follow,” he said calmly. “Now, if you’ll roll up your sleeve, I’m going to have my assistant take your blood pressure.”

  Victoria gave Natalia a reassuring look. She tried to calm down, hoping that her frustration wouldn’t cause her vitals to appear abnormal.

  “Have you been experiencing any unusual symptoms recently?” the doctor asked as he felt her lymph nodes in her neck.

  “Nope,” she said flatly. “I’m feeling great.”

  “Good. I’m going to listen to your heart and lungs now. Just breathe normally.”

  Natalia sat still as the doctor pressed his stethoscope to her back and listened. Victoria raised her eyebrows and smiled at Natalia.

  “So,” Victoria said sweetly, “what can you tell me about this place? Was it already abandoned or was it abandoned due to the virus?”

  “I’m not sure,” the doctor said, testing Natalia’s reflexes. “By the time I joined the organization, they already had this place. If you’re worried about getting infected, all of the buildings have been sterilized.”

  “That’s exactly what I was wondering,” Victoria lied. “That makes me feel a lot better. Have you seen anyone that might be infected?”

  “Not yet,” he replied. “I just need to do a blood test now. Are you on any medications or have any health conditions that we need to know about?”

  “Nothing,” Natalia said replied simply, holding out her right arm.

  “So, do you know anything about that weird barricade between the men’s dorm and the women’s dorm?” Victoria asked nonchalantly.

  “It’s nothing to worry about,” the doctor laughed. “There’s some early research going on that suggests that there’s a link between biological sex and the virus. It’s just another precaution.”

  “But I know that both women and men are affected by it,” Natalia interjected.

  “Yes, but it appears that either there’s a link between mingling between the sexes or differences in how it reacts in different bodies. We just want to figure out what the correlation is before we open the dorms up. It’s nothing to be concerned about.”

  Natalia was skeptical. She didn’t know much about the scientific aspect of the virus, but something about that answer seemed strange. She wished Elaina were with her to explain things in terms she could understand.

  “Could you elaborate?” Victoria asked, innocently tilting her head. “I’m not sure if I understand what you’re saying.”

  “You’re both done with the exam,” the doctor said, changing the subject. “You will be notified if there are any problems with your lab results. There’s a soldier outside of the exam room waiting to escort you back to your dorm. Have a nice afternoon.”

  The women walked back to their room in complete silence. Natalia knew that Victoria was on her side after getting shady answers from the doctor. Something about their camp was not right.

  “Thanks for getting us somewhere safe,” Victoria said with complete earnestness when the soldier dropped them off at the door to the female bunks.

  “You’re welcome,” he said, looking pleasantly surprised.

  Before Natalia opened the door, she looked at Victoria out of the corner of her eye. She had the tiniest smirk on her face.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The bed of the truck was hot and stuffy with the cover pulled over the top. Alec and Elaina lay flat on their backs, trying to keep their bodies from
rolling into the sides at every sharp turn. The driver didn’t have much concern for their comfort or safety as he sped through the streets.

  “Alec,” Elaina called over the roar of the engine, “where’s your gun?”

  He answered after a long pause. “In the car.”

  She took a deep breath, trying to keep her feelings of frustration away from Alec. She didn’t want to blame him for their misfortune. At the core, the trouble they found themselves in was directly linked to her. In any other circumstance, a good cop would be able to go far in the virus-stricken world. He just had the misfortune of pairing up with the most wanted woman in the world.

  “I’m sorry,” he shouted over the noise.

  “Don’t be,” Elaina replied. “Let’s just try to get out of this, okay?”

  “Okay,” he said, his body sliding into hers as the car made a turn. He wiggled his restrained body back to his side of the truck bed.

  The ropes that bound the two were tight and painful. Their captors seemed to take joy in causing them discomfort. They laughed as Elaina winced when they yanked her by the rope and slid her into the truck. She tried her best to remain tough and emotionless so they wouldn’t have the satisfaction of knowing she was hurting, but it was too much to completely hide.

  Alec tried to resist, but was dealt a blow to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. It was no use to fight—they were outnumbered.

  Fighting healthy men presented a unique challenge that they didn’t face with the infected. The infected fought with brute force and rage, but lacked the mental faculties to carefully plan an attack. They fought with whatever weapons were available. They were able to fight in large numbers, but lacked organization within a group.

  Healthy people didn’t have the same rage and strength, but they knew exactly how to use their healthy minds to their advantage. They came prepared with weapons and restraints. They lurked and waited in the dark, springing when their prey was most vulnerable.

  Rolling around the back of the truck, Elaina couldn’t decide which group was more dangerous. She had been pursued, attacked, and captured by both infected and healthy people. The monsters that chased after her came in all types.

  The car made a quick stop and Alec and Elaina’s heads smacked into the cab of the truck. Elaina could hear nothing but ringing in her ears as she blinked her eyes, trying to get them to focus. Then, two hands gripped Elaina’s ankles and she was pulled from the truck and placed on her feet.

  “Come along,” the man holding her arms said, yanking her toward a building.

  “Where are we?” she asked.

  “None of your business,” he cackled. “It’s been a long day, and the boys and I are going to have a few drinks. You and your boyfriend are going to sit down and shut up while we relax.”

  Once inside the rundown bar, Alec and Elaina were shoved into a dark closet and they heard the door lock behind them. The footsteps of the men that led them there grew fainter until only the soft sound of muffled voices could be heard. When the coast was clear, Alec spoke first.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” Elaina replied, carefully finding a seat in the corner of the closet. “My head hurts and the ropes are cutting into my skin, but I suppose it could be worse.”

  “I don’t know if it can,” Alec replied. “For some reason, these men frighten me more than the infected.”

  Elaina chewed at the ropes binding her wrists, but they were too tight to escape from. However, she did manage to loosen them to the point where they only slightly rubbed her skin, as opposed to cutting through her flesh.

  “Do you think we can get out of here?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure. I saw them tie your ropes and these guys know exactly what they’re doing. If there was something sharp in here, I’d say we could fray the ropes a little, but it looks like it’s completely empty.”

  Elaina looked around in the dark closet. A tiny sliver of light from under the door was the only light available to them. The closet couldn’t have been any bigger than five square feet. Alec’s legs were folded so he wouldn’t encroach on Elaina’s space.

  “Here, let me move,” she said, scooting over so her back rested on the wall. He moved to the opposite wall, their legs stretched out toward each other.

  She could barely see his face in the darkness, but he looked oddly calm. In fact, it almost looked like he had a smile on his face.

  “What?” she asked, assuming that this new capture had completely broken him.

  “Nothing,” he giggled.

  “What?” she asked again, growing more concerned. “Tell me.”

  “It’s so stupid,” he laughed. “But do you remember the game Seven Minutes in Heaven?”

  “No,” Elaina replied.

  “Yes you do,” he insisted. “It’s the one that teenagers play at parties. Kind of like Spin the Bottle.”

  “I’ve never heard of it,” she said. “I didn’t really go to a lot of parties.”

  “Oh,” Alec said, his voice fading. “Never mind, it was a stupid thought in the first place.”

  Elaina closed her eyes and rested the back of her head on the wall. She didn’t think that Alec believed her to be a cool person, but she was slowly solidifying that fact the more she spoke about her personal life.

  “Tell me about it,” she said, trying to hide her frustration with herself.

  “It’s embarrassing that this was ever a thing, but it was basically a game that was created so young teens could make out in a closet without any shame. Your friends would make it so you had to go in a closet for seven minutes before you could come out.”

  “Oh,” Elaina said, her face feeling warm. “I think I get it.”

  “Yeah,” Alec chuckled. “It’s pretty silly when you think about it. Most of the time, we were too shy to do anything, so it ended up being seven minutes of awkward hand-holding, with maybe the possibility of a quick peck on the lips at the end. Anyway, there was something about being tossed in here that brought back those memories.”

  “Memories of being shoved in a closet with an awkward girl?” she asked.

  “No, you’re not an awkward girl. It’s more like being shoved in a closet with a girl who is much cooler than you are.”

  Elaina tucked her head into her chest. She wanted to tell him he was crazy for thinking that, but she was too embarrassed to speak.

  Without warning, the burly man that had held the gun to Alec’s head swung the door open.

  “I thought I told you to shut up,” he snarled. “The other guys want to put a gag on you two, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Oh?” Elaina challenged.

  “I would hate to find you suffocated by it,” he said, gritting his teeth. “It’s not time for you to die, not just yet, anyway.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Alec growled.

  “Buddy, your girlfriend committed a serious crime. Now, when someone commits a crime, they need to be punished for it. We haven’t decided on what the punishment is going to be, but I think you’ll find that it’s going to be serious.”

  “She didn’t release the virus,” Alec shouted. “Her co-worker did. She’s completely innocent. Plus, if you listen to us for just a minute, you’ll realize that she’s the only hope our civilization has.”

  A fire blazed in Alec’s eyes. His hands were shaking with rage.

  “I see what’s happened here,” the man said, a little softer. “You probably found her on the side of the road somewhere. She’s definitely a looker, you weren’t wrong about that. So, it’s the end of the world and you wanted one last thrill. You start sleeping together, but suddenly, you’re hooked. You’ve fallen for this criminal and you can’t see past her lies because you’re whipped. I feel sorry for you, boy. You’re just a little fly trapped in the black widow’s web.”

  Alec spat at the man’s feet. He chuckled and stomped his boot on the ground.

  “I don’t blame you, kid. I think you’ll find
that once we separate the two of you, you’ll be back to your old self in no time. We’ll do our best to help you out, but you’re still an accessory to her crimes. We’ll be more lenient with you, but you’re not getting away scot-free. No sir.”

  “He didn’t do anything wrong,” Elaina cried. “Leave him alone.”

  “You’re not fooling me, little spider,” the man said to Elaina in a voice that sent a chill down her spine. “You better be praying for forgiveness.”

  With that, he slammed the door shut again. It felt like he took all the oxygen in the closet with him.

  When they composed themselves, Alec said, “I’m so sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “For not believing you, for not protecting you. Take your pick.”

  “You never had to do either of those things.”

  “Then I’m sorry that that man said those things to you. It was terrible and you don’t deserve to ever hear something like that said to you.”

  Elaina bit her lip. “They’re vile people. What they said to you was terrible, too.”

  “I can handle it. As a cop, I’m used to having all sorts of abuse shouted at me. It helps to know the truth, though. I believe you and no one could convince me otherwise.”

  “Thanks,” she said softly. “That really means a lot to me. I am seriously sorry for ever lying to you, by the way.”

  “I know. I get it, though. I’m sure you thought I would just be in your life for a brief moment, didn’t you?”

  “I did,” she replied. “Wasn’t it the same for you?”

  He shook his head. “Not exactly. From the moment I met you and Natalia, I knew that I needed to make sure you got out of this without a scratch on you. I couldn’t save Natalia, so it makes this even more important.”

  “What’s important?”

  “I cannot let anything bad happen to you,” he said emphatically.

  “I can’t let anything bad happen to you, either,” she replied. “You’re all I have now. You’re the only one out there who believes me.”

  They sat in silence, thinking about the injustice of it all. It didn’t appear that they would be able to make it out of this one together. The realization that their time was up weighed heavily on their minds. There was nothing to do or say to make things better.