“I think we should go to town tomorrow. We’ve been away from the compound three days now. We should get lucky and miss anyone looking for us,” Rafe said.
“We’re betting on luck?” Charlie replied.
“I’m betting they will come back. They will assume we will return to the compound once we think it’s safe. I don’t think we can go back there until my sisters are there. We need more people to defend the place.”
“What happens if they get there when the military is there?”
“They didn’t want me. Only you. I don’t think they will go after civilians on the random chance of finding you,” Rafe said.
When he said it, he realized he was really hoping that was the case. He was torn between going back to the compound to wait for his sisters, so they could deal with the government head-on, or just waiting for them at the cave. He thought about leaving Charlie behind, so he could check the compound. However, he knew she would never go for a plan that left her behind, even to protect her and the information she carried. The town was the only other place they could venture for supplies, so they would have to take that risk.
“I hope you’re right. I didn’t mean to bring the entire weight of the US Government down on you and your family,” Charlie said quietly.
“I know you didn’t. And it’s as much my responsibility as yours. I took you in, knowing you had something serious from the facility.”
“I was studying it a bit while you slept this morning. I didn’t want to use too much of the laptop battery, but I couldn’t just leave it. I’m not sure I understand this illness at all. It shouldn’t have presented this way. It shouldn’t have killed people from a bite from someone infected. According to the notes, it was meant to be airborne. But clearly, we have seen that’s not the case,” she said.
“Glad we didn’t find out it was airborne the hard way.”
“Me too. The only thing I can think of is, the mice that were infected for testing, it changed there. When that mouse bit Tammy, something was different about the pathogen coming from the mouse. It somehow mutated inside the animal. I’m just not sure how that happened or how to solve it.”
“If you were to figure it out, how would you need to do it?”
“I couldn’t do it out here,” she said, motioning around their cave. “I would need lab equipment. I would need samples from the infected, more than one and at different stages of turning. If I could get a sample from a recently bitten person, before they died, that would be extremely helpful as well. But these are all tests I can’t just run without contact with the infected in some way. And with a lab.”
Charlie seemed defeated and Rafe felt guilty about that. Solving this world plague couldn’t be all on Charlie’s shoulders. The facility had a lot of people in the dark about the true intentions of the work done inside its walls. The secrets were tightly kept. Rafe couldn’t help wondering if Charlie would have made a difference if she had started gathering information sooner. He didn’t voice this to her though, not wanting to weigh her down even more.
“Well, that’s a lot of needs. We’ll have to work toward it. You may be the only person left that understands how this happened,” he said.
“I’m not the only one. 'The Suit' knows. He may not be anything more than an executive. But he knows the projects and the purpose of what we were working on. The orders came down from people like him. He knows. He just wants to silence me, because he knows I know the truth too.”
“Guess we just need to not give him the satisfaction.”
They ate quietly that night, sipping water and eating beef jerky with their MREs. Storm napped in the corner, full from his own canned meal that he wolfed down. Rafe watched the dog while he ate. They had left the fire going into the night to keep the cave warm until they went to bed. The tarp had to be slightly open for the smoke to find its way out. Rafe was slightly concerned with the light drawing attention. Yet, he knew if anything was within earshot, Storm would alarm them.
That night Rafe laid in bed, staring into the darkness. He thought about the dream he had earlier and the guilt he felt for not killing the infected volleyball player. It made him wonder if she had found any living. Or did someone else handle ending her? He knew the dream he had by the stream was the mixture of the pressure of protecting Charlie, her knowledge, and the idea that someone could have lost their life due to his inaction in the grocery store. He made the promise to himself that when they hiked into town, he would go back to that store and fix his mistake.
Morning brought gloom and rain with it. Rafe stood inside looking out around the tarp. The rain pelted the trees, a steady white noise flowing across the forest. It was less than optimal travel conditions, but they were running low on food and while Rafe could hunt and fish, nothing would be caught in this weather. Hiking into town was their best choice for the time being. It would also give them a sense of how things had been going the last few days.
“Do you want to wait?” Charlie asked from behind him. She was strapping on the rain jacket that had been carefully stuffed into her new bug out bag.
“No. I think we just have to go. We can’t base our choices around the weather. If we do that, we could be stuck here for good.”
Storm didn’t seem to agree with them. He stood by Rafe’s feet, looking out at the rain and back to his new masters. His look was clearly one of disgust. But when Rafe and Charlie headed out, Storm was close on their heels. Rafe made sure the tarp and net were secured down against the rain. They took a lot of their gear with them, in case someone found their camp. He hoped that their set up was hidden enough that they would have somewhere to come back to.
Hiking to town was faster than the compound. It was a middle distance between the two places. Rafe was feeling better after all of the rest he had gotten the last two days. Now that he was feeling closer to normal he was able to hike at faster speeds and further distances without breaks. Charlie kept up with him and she barely seemed to break a sweat. Rafe had to admit he was surprised. She admitted herself that she wasn’t an outside kinda girl. Hiking seemed to come quite naturally to her and she enjoyed it even in the pouring rain.
Midday approached quickly. Rafe knew the area they were coming into and slowed a bit for Storm to check things out. They were coming up to the first of the houses they would need to pass. Storm seemed to sense that something was different, and he went off toward the direction of the buildings. Rafe followed carefully, shotgun at his shoulder. A house came into view and Rafe motioned for Charlie to crouch with him behind some trees. Their vantage point of the house was clear, giving them the chance to know who was around before they accidentally stumbled upon them.
Storm slowly crept toward the house, his nose to the ground. He would stop and look around before continuing his sniffing. When he disappeared around the side of the house, Rafe felt himself hold his breath. He waited, listening for a bark. When nothing came, Rafe decided it was relatively safe. He slowly came out from behind the trees, Charlie following carefully behind them. Storm appeared again then, whining at them softly.
“What is it, boy?” Rafe whispered.
Though the dog and man weren’t trained together, their communication was clear. Rafe knew the sound Storm made was distress, not fear or trouble. Storm knew what Rafe was asking and he turned to lead him to the back door of the house. Here the door and screen sat open. Rafe could see the kitchen behind the door. The room looked trashed, food littered every surface, mud had been tracked across the tile, cabinet doors sat ajar. Rafe looked down at Storm, who just whined again and looked inside.
“What do you think happened?” Charlie said from behind them.
“I’m not sure. But something upset Storm. I don’t think it’s dangerous or he would be ready to attack. I’m going to check it out,” Rafe replied.
“I’m coming with you.”
“Even if I asked you to stay out here, you wouldn’t, would you?” He asked.
Charlie just gave him a look that said a
ll he needed to know. He shrugged his shoulders in defeat and reminded her to stay close behind him.
Together they stepped into the ransacked kitchen, Storm leading the way through the house. Rafe noted the farmhouse was homey with pretty yellow curtains on every window. A floral tablecloth was across the kitchen table, with a metal flower pot in the center. The flowers were long since wilted, the gesture losing importance with a plague raging outside. Storm led them down a hallway where the walls were lined with photographs of smiling family members. As they passed open doorways, they could see a child lived here. Rafe started to get a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“Charlie, I think you should go back outside,” he started to say, but they were already at the destination Storm wanted them to be.
Storm stopped outside a closed door and looked at Rafe again. He whined quietly and pawed at the bottom of the door. A quiet noise from the other side caught Rafe’s attention. He leaned in, pressing his ear to the wood. Whimpering could be heard, almost too quiet for Rafe to pick up on. He was sure it was human. Leaning back, he looked down at Storm. Thoughts whirled in his head. The dog wasn’t signaling trouble for them, but something behind the door had him upset. It wasn’t infected, the noise was clearly that of someone healthy. But that left the question of why Storm was concerned and brought them to that door.
“What is it?” Charlie finally asked quietly, breaking the silence in the hallway.
Without answering, Rafe put his hand on the doorknob. He turned it slowly, finding it to be unlocked. Swinging the door wide, they were looking into a small bathroom. Food wrappers, bags, water bottles and other trash filled the floor. Except for a path through the middle that led to the bathtub. There were toys, stuffed animals, and books on the counter, neatly set in rows. Rafe started to wonder what had made the sound he heard when a little blond head appeared in the tub.
“Where’s my Mommy?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“You’re not my mommy and daddy,” the little blond haired boy said.
Rafe was frozen in place, staring at the boy. He couldn’t be more than five years old, his size reminding him of the last time he had seen his nephew Henry who was turning six soon. The little face was dirty with what looked like chocolate and other sticky substances. The blond hair was in complete disarray, dirty and unkept. His blue eyes were wide with fear as he stared at the strangers that had just opened his bathroom door.
“You have a dog,” the boy spoke again.
“Yes, we do. His name is Storm. What’s yours?” Charlie said as she nudged Rafe out of the way.
Children were something Rafe only had limited experience with. He had spent a great deal of time with his niece Jack when she was an infant. But after that first year, it was just short visits from either of his sisters with their kids. His mind was racing, trying to figure out if parents would be showing up and shooting them on sight for being in their house. Rafe looked up and down the hall again, not seeing any sign of additional movement.
“I’m Aiden,” the boy said softly.
“Hello, Aiden. I’m Charlie. This is my friend Rafe,” Charlie said, as she stepped into the bathroom toward the boy. Aidan shrunk back against his bedding, causing Charlie to stop and stand still.
“Are you waiting for your mommy and daddy here?”
Aiden nodded.
“When are they coming back?”
“Don’t know,” Aiden said.
“Do you know where they went?”
“They left,” the little boy said, as his lip began to tremble.
“Did they leave you here? Tell you to wait?” Charlie asked softly. As she spoke, she took another small step toward the tub. Aiden didn’t seem to notice, his attention on their conversation.
“Yes. My daddy said he was going to see the people that were at the door. But Mommy said she would help him. Mommy went out the back door and the weird people went after her.”
“The weird people?” Rafe asked, finally speaking up from his spot in the hallway.
Aiden’s little blue eyes swung back to the man. He seemed to study him for a moment and Rafe could see how he looked at his knives and guns.
“They walked funny. And Mommy and Daddy were scared of them.”
Charlie and Rafe shared a look, knowing the people were infected that had been drawn to the house somehow. Aiden’s parents probably knew they needed to draw them away.
“How long ago was that, buddy?” Rafe asked in a kind tone.
“I think four bedtimes? I’ve been sleeping in the tub cause Daddy said the bathroom was safest with the small window,” Aiden answered as he pulled his blanket up his legs a little.
“You’ve been taking care of yourself?” Charlie asked, her voice sad.
Aiden nodded his head quickly.
“How old are you?” Rafe asked.
“Four. You’re strangers. Mommy said I couldn’t talk to strangers.” With that statement, his little lip trembled and Rafe started to panic thinking the boy was going to cry.
“Well, you know our names now, remember? Your Mommy was right, you shouldn’t talk to strangers. But now we are friends,” Charlie said, talking fast to head off any tears.
The boy thought on that for a moment. He seemed to debate Charlie’s logic. When he looked back at the new adults, he seemed to understand what Charlie was saying and agreed with her.
“Ok. Where are my mommy and daddy? I want them to come back.”
“We haven’t seen them, sweetie. We were headed into town. Maybe we could look for them together?” Charlie replied.
After some coaxing, Charlie was able to convince Aiden to leave the bathroom. While he showed Charlie his room and she tried to get him into clean clothes, Rafe walked around the house to close and lock doors. The rain was still pelting down outside, but he could see some blue sky in the distance. What he didn’t see were Aiden’s parents or anyone else wandering the area. Without saying it, Rafe knew he and Charlie were on the same page about the parents. They were gone. Aiden had been left alone in the world, with no one to care for him. Now what, Rafe thought to himself.
A much cleaner Aiden and Charlie joined Rafe in the kitchen. Rafe was sorting through what was left in the cabinets and fridge that was no longer on. Power seemed to be off in the house, making Rafe wonder if power was out all over town. He had found a jar of pickles and olives left in the fridge that were safe. He was crunching on the pickles when Charlie walked in with the little boy.
“I don’t like pickles,” Aiden said, seeing what Rafe was eating.
“No? Well then, is it ok I eat them?” Rafe replied.
Aiden nodded his head. He went to a cabinet and pulled out a box of fruit snacks. With no assistance from the adults, he opened a packet and ate the snacks from the bag. Rafe watched him, realizing this was how the little boy survived four days without adults. He just ate the foods he liked and could reach around the kitchen. It explained some of the mess, but not all of it. Rafe wondered if someone else wandered into the house but left when they realized there was a little boy inside.
“Aiden, has anyone else been inside the house before we showed up?” Rafe asked.
“Just the men with the guns and masks,” Aiden said, as he shoveled fruit snacks into his already full mouth.
“They didn’t try and take you with them?” Charlie asked. Her eyes were wide when she looked at Rafe. Again, Rafe knew they were on the same page. The mercenaries were still nearby.
“No. They were looking for someone they said. Then they told me that they would come back for me. But I told them Mommy and Daddy would come to get me, so I wouldn’t need them.”
His young logic was so simple, Rafe almost snorted. If they wanted to help the little boy, they would have done it immediately. They left a small boy alone, knowing his chance of survival was slim without adult help. The thought banged around Rafe’s mind. They left a child to die. He felt that rage in his blood again. The same that pumped through his veins as he fou
ght the mercenaries on his own property. What type of government didn’t help little children?
“Rafe, can I speak with you?” Charlie said, signaling for them to speak in the dining room away from Aiden’s ears.
They walked away, the little boy only interested in his snack at the kitchen counter. Rafe looked back at him and he could feel the blood pounding in his ears. If Storm hadn’t alerted them to his presence in the house, they probably would have moved on to town, thinking nothing of the empty house.
“They are searching for me,” Charlie whispered.
“And nothing else apparently. They aren’t even helping people along the way. Only looking for you,” Rafe replied.
“Leaving Aiden like that, they had to know...”
“That he wouldn’t survive alone,” Rafe said, finishing her sentence.
“What do we do?”
“We can’t leave him here. But we can’t wait here either. I don’t think his parents are coming back. Nothing would have kept them away four days,” Rafe said.
“Except dying.”
“Right. I think we have to take him with us. And I can’t believe I’m even saying that. I have no idea what to do with a four-year-old.”
“I don’t really either. But we’ll just have to manage. I’m going to find a bag and pack some of his clothes and toys,” Charlie said.
Back in the kitchen, Rafe pulled a stool next to Aiden. He watched the boy spread out the fruit snacks and eat the colors he clearly liked the best, first. Then he ate the others. But all one at a time. Rafe found it fascinating. Cleaned up, the boy’s age showed more, making him look even younger and more vulnerable.
Alive (Sundown Series Book 3) Page 17