Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

  “Sort of, I guess,” Henry replied.

  Claire narrowed her eyes at Henry and Sophie. “How did it get out there? Did you bite a lot of people?”

  “I have my suspicions, and no. I suspect a full amount of the virus was injected into someone. It had to be. It’s the only way the full-fledged virus would be out there. It can annihilate us as a population. It already has.”

  “So…Nick is in a state of reanimation?” Claire asked. Nick grumbled something, but I was too focused on my necrophilia to understand what it was.

  “Correct.”

  “How did you get clean blood from people before?”

  “I ran the blood bank. I stole bags and vials all the time. It was a steady supply of clean blood, so I never had to worry.”

  “Hence all the shortages you hear about in the media?” Claire’s words were sharp.

  “Yeah, I suppose I contributed to that.” Shaking his head, he seemed ashamed for taking advantage of a system for people in need. Claire’s anger had returned. It was the epitome of an emotional roller coaster. I was still trying to process that I had been fucking a dead guy.

  “Oh, my god. You were taking blood from dying people? Sick,” Claire growled.

  “I understand why you feel that way. I would collect extra vials and say I was taking a sampling of blood for research purposes before a donation. I told them it was a new process. Since I ran the bank, no one questioned it. I had official-looking documentation ready if I were questioned. I have also done some things I’m not proud of. Some really bad shit,” he muttered, scrubbing his face with his hand. I wondered what he meant by that, but at that point, it didn’t fucking matter.

  “This is so sick and twisted!” Claire raged.

  “We are sick, too, damn it!” Henry’s fists clenched.

  Claire backed off. “But now you condemned Nick, as well!”

  “For real!” Nick barked and grabbed his head. “Christ…”

  “Do you not think I know this? It was a natural reaction and I couldn’t help myself. I was deteriorating. The virus was taking over my brain and body!”

  “That’s no excuse!” she snarled.

  “You don’t understand! Do you honestly think I want to live this way? I couldn’t stop myself, Claire! I had no idea I even did it until the fresh intake kicked in! It’s like sharks when there’s blood in the water! The virus took over my mind and directed me. The longer I go without a fix, the more the virus takes over. That’s why those people, those undeads, are doing what they are doing! The virus has taken over their brains. They know nothing except they need to get their fix! We are like heroin addicts. It’s no longer a want. It’s a need.” Henry choked back tears. “It pains me to know what I did to you, Nick, and to know I could have done it to any one of you. What if I did it to you, my love?” He had a hard time getting his words out.

  “So, to keep the three of you from becoming truly undead, you need a fix, like a heroin addict?” Claire was trying to process all the information without pissing Henry off too much. Still standing a distance back, she seemed to be a little frightened that they would turn on her. I figured if they were going to turn on us, they would have already.

  “In a way, but not as frequent. If we can get a large vial about once a day or every other day, and a large quantity once in a while, we would be in as normal a state as we can be in. But that’s not always feasible.”

  The punk ass kid had retreated to the corner and sat on the floor to watch the surroundings. I stared at Henry through the few moments of silence.

  “I cannot fucking believe I have to drink blood now.” Slamming his down on the counter, Nick was in an entirely unpleasant mood. I can’t say as I blamed him.

  Claire chewed her cheek, rolling everything through her mind. His truth was difficult to process. She looked at me, pulling me close. The thought of human beings doing this to other human beings changed my perspective of how dysfunctional the world truly was. I didn’t want to hear any more.

  “How did he get you tied up?” Claire pointed at the kid.

  “I was weak. He grabbed me from behind and hit me over the head with that bloody gun of his. Which is empty, by the way. I was trying to tell you that. By the time he got me tied up, I started returning back to my normal state. But I was stuck.”

  “I’m still lost about your eyes. Why did Nick’s change to the same as yours?” she asked.

  “It’s like a chemical reaction of some sort. Since it’s a man-made virus, a lot of chemical components are involved. I don’t have all the answers, but if we change all the way, we would have the gray, glazed eyes like the undeads.” I shuddered. The little boy’s eyes came back to my mind. Then I flashed to my dream about Henry.

  “If we see more eyes like yours, they are like you?”

  “Yes.”

  Tearing up, Claire shook her head at the thought. She was fearful of Henry and Sophie, but it was obvious she felt sorry for them, too. They couldn’t help who they were.

  “How many?” Claire shut her eyes, waiting for his answer. I was afraid of the answer myself.

  “Before the virus was released, there were ten of us living in the States. There are another ten waiting on standby for assistance, if necessary.” He gestured toward Sophie. “There are an additional twenty recruits currently working through the program.”

  “And this Gunther can help?” Claire asked.

  “Maybe.” Henry looked at me and stepped forward. The want was in his body language. His eyes spoke volumes. They were so full of love. I didn’t move away from him this time. “Please say something, love.” He reached for my face, cupping it in his cold, almost dead hands.

  “I…I…”

  “It’s all right, love. Take your time.” His voice was soft and tender.

  “I’ve been fucking a dead person,” I whispered.

  He raised an eyebrow. “I guess you could look at it like that.” He paused. “Elaina, I am just like you, but sick.”

  “Sick…dead…sick…,” I mumbled.

  I felt myself going down, then darkness took over.

  “Whoa!” Henry yelled, reaching for Elaina. She hit the counter and fell to the floor. “Shit! Elaina!” He dropped to her side. “Love! Wake up!” His hands trembled as he shook her. Then he saw blood coming out of the back of her head. “Shit!”

  Nick looked down, his gaze focused on the thick red liquid dribbling on the floor. He groaned. Henry looked at him. Nick’s eyes were graying already. “Back off! You’re too fresh. Sophie, grab one of those small coffee cups.” Nick took a couple steps backward, licking his lips.

  “What? What the hell do you need a cup for?” Claire knelt next to Elaina.

  “The blood. We can collect a little for Nick…before things go awry.”

  “Go awry? I do believe we are already past that point,” Sophie grumbled as she headed for the cups.

  “This won’t hurt her?” Claire asked.

  “No. Do you think I would hurt her?” Claire lifted her eyebrow. “Fuck me. Physically, do you think I would harm her?”

  “No, probably not. I would hope not anyway.”

  Henry held the cup Sophie handed him under the small gash on Elaina’s head.

  “Just let me get about a vial’s worth, then I will take her out and stitch up her head.”

  Claire was nervous, watching everything unfold. She worried Elaina was seriously injured.

  Nick’s joints and muscles became stiffer by the second. He growled as the blaring headache kicked in. Claire looked up at him. She recognized the symptoms. He looked just like Henry when he struggled with his pain.

  “Here, mate. Drink up.” Henry handed him the cup. Nick looked at the contents, swirling the blood around the cup. “Drink it! Trust me, you’ll feel better.” Henry tucked his bloodied t-shirt behind Elaina’s head.

  Nick tossed back what little blood there was in the cup. “Fuuuck…,” he groaned, rolling his neck. His face changed from a pained expression to more of
a relaxed state. He looked over at Claire, feeling a rush of erotic desire when their eyes met. He felt a stirring in his jeans. Then he exhaled loudly and shook off all his thoughts for the moment. Slowly, his joints and muscles freed up. Then his focus turned to Elaina when she moaned.

  “I think she’s waking up,” Claire said.

  I began to come to, my head pounding. All I could see were emeralds sparkling in front of me. Beautiful green, sparkly emeralds… Wait a second. It was Henry, Sophie, and Nick. I gasped and in a weak attempt, pushed myself back to get away from them.

  “Elaina. Elaina, my love. Please, take it easy.” His voice echoed in my head. “You hit your head.”

  My vision became somewhat clearer. “Henry?” I rasped.

  “I’m right here, love.”

  “Are you going to bite me?”

  “No.” Frightened, I struggled to get away from him. “Please, you have a small gash on your head.”

  I shivered under the cool breath coming at me. Then I saw Claire. She had real eyes. Bright blue eyes.

  “Claire?”

  “Oh, honey.” She looked so sad. Her eyes were wet with tears. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get you fixed up.”

  “What hap…happened?”

  “You passed out. When you fell, you hit your head on the counter.” I wanted to go back to sleep, feeling my eyelids closing. “Elaina, stay with me. You have to tell me what else you’re feeling.” I forced my eyes open.

  “My head. It h-hurts. Headache.” The pain was almost blinding. I tried to reach up to the spot.

  “No, honey. Save your energy.”

  “Will she be okay?” I heard Nick’s voice in the distance, echoing in my head. I looked around, trying to find him.

  “Nick…?” I whispered.

  “I’m right here, sis.” He knelt next to me. Maybe it was all a nightmare.

  Henry said, “Let’s just get you to the truck. After you rest, we will talk more about it.”

  “Okay,” I whispered. “Water, please?”

  “Sophie, run out and get Elaina water, please, before we move her.”

  I heard the clicking of her heels walk past me. It was almost a comforting sound because it was something familiar.

  A minute later, Claire raised my head a little so I could take a few sips. I felt myself drifting. “Is there anything else you can feel or not feel?”

  “Sleep,” I murmured, drifting off.

  “Now what?” Claire asked in a mild panic.

  “Let’s get her into the truck. We can fold the seats down and try to keep her comfortable.” Henry scooped Elaina up.

  Just as he took one step toward the door, they heard the unmistakable sound of a shotgun pump. They all stopped. Henry turned his head, still holding Elaina firmly in front of him, only to see the kid pointing a shotgun at everyone.

  “No one is goin’ nowhere!”

  “Listen, kid…,” Henry started, realizing he must have had a couple shells stashed in his pockets. He cursed himself for not checking. After he had tied him up in the back room, the kid laughed, showing him that his gun was empty. Henry wasn’t amused.

  “I ain’t no kid!”

  “Okay, mate. Listen, we need to get her to a safe zone so we can clean her up and stitch her if need be.”

  “I ain’t lettin’ you undeads, or whatever the fuck you are, leave!”

  “We need to tend to her medically. Let us at least take her to the truck.”

  Sophie maneuvered her way behind him, while Henry held his attention. They worked well together because they were so in sync.

  “What about my deal? I was supposed to get supplies in exchange for not shootin’ you.”

  Sophie grabbed his neck from behind, shoving him onto the cold hard floor.

  “ARRRG! Get off me, you whore!” She jammed her knee into him. His protruding spine began to sway beneath her weight.

  “Now it’s my turn,” she growled. The kid struggled underneath her. “You listen to me, and you listen carefully. Understand?” There was no response.

  Claire looked at Henry. “She has him handled. Let’s go. We need to get Elaina fixed up.” Henry, Nick, and Claire hurried out the door.

  “Do you understand me?!” Sophie screamed in his ear.

  “Yes! Yes!” the kid choked out.

  “We are in charge. You will do as we say, or you’ll end up like us. I surely could go for a fix right about now. You got that?!” Silence. “I said, do you have it?!”

  “Yes!” The kid coughed and squirmed as much as he could. “Please, please get off me.” He coughed again. Sophie searched his pockets. He had a couple shanks in his back pocket, shells in his front. She also found what looked to be a school ID.

  “Oh, what’s this?”

  “Please!” She pushed her knee harder into his back.

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Oh, you really aren’t photogenic, are you, Thomas Anderson.” Sophie giggled. She couldn’t help herself. “Is that your name? Thomas?”

  “Yes!”

  “All right, Thomas. I’m Sophie, and I will be your worst fucking nightmare if you do not follow orders. Now, I’ll be taking this, thank you very much.” She grabbed the shotgun from his hand. “When I let you up, you will walk calmly outside those doors, then wait patiently for your supplies and further instructions. You will not argue, fuss, or threaten any one of us, or you will find yourself true dead. Hmm… Maybe we could tap you first. What are you? B positive? O negative?”

  The taunting broke Thomas. “All righ’! All righ’! I will do wha’ever you say, just don’ eat me, please!” He was so scared, he whimpered the whole way out to the truck. Sophie kept pushing him with the business end of the shotgun to spur him to move faster.

  “Claire, gather up some food for little Thomas here so we can go. And, for the love of God, shut the hell up!” Tired of his whimpering, she swatted him in the back of the head. Thomas recoiled and held his thin arms around his head, hoping she wasn’t going to bite him. Not that he could have stopped her if she wanted to. Claire was a little taken aback when Sophie swatted Thomas.

  “What do you want me to give him?”

  “Hmm… What are you worth?” Sophie stepped back and looked Thomas up and down.

  “All right, Sophie. Enough! Think about this as if he were Samuel.” Henry spoke through the open liftgate. He watched the situation while stitching up Elaina’s head.

  That hit Sophie hard. She had forgotten about Anna and Samuel. She needed to stay in check. She didn’t want to give anything away.

  “He’s just a boy. You remember what it was like for us when we were that age?” Sophie backed off. “Claire, grab him a few packages of food and about six bottles of water.”

  The air was thick with frustration and anger. Claire did as instructed, scared of what would happen if she didn’t comply with the orders. She also wanted to find out who Samuel was, but she dared not cross anyone at that point.

  When Henry finished stitching Elaina’s head, he rummaged through the supply box in his truck and pulled out a t-shirt to put on. He helped Nick position her so he could close the liftgate, then he walked over to Claire and Thomas.

  “She should be fine. Nick’s tending to her now. She may have a concussion, though.” Claire nodded, relieved. Henry cleared his throat, focusing on the kid. “Now, if I heard correctly, Thomas… Is that your name?” The frightened boy nodded. “Look, we aren’t going to hurt you. We aren’t like them.” He pointed toward the small strip mall. Two undeads aimlessly wandered near a storefront. “I realize what you witnessed earlier, but I promise to do my best to keep my composure.” Henry put his hands on his hips and looked around for a minute. “I’m going to make you an offer. I need an answer right away, though. We’re on a mission, and I would like to continue it before it gets dark. Understand?”

  “Ye…yes, sir.” Thomas’s voice shook.

  “I can either leave you here with those supplies or we can take you with us.”

&nb
sp; “Oh, hell no,” Sophie grumbled. “We are not taking that prepubescent little shit with us!”

  Henry looked over at her. “We are not monsters!” he barked. “He has zero chance out here!”

  “Have you forgotten so quickly? He tried to kill you!”

  “With just cause, Sophie! If I were in his shoes, I would have probably done the same. He is scared! Let’s take him with us. We can always use another pair of eyes.”

  “He could go rogue on us!”

  “Have you met us? We are rogue.”

  Sophie clenched her fists at her sides. “Rogue from the program!” she growled.

  “He won’t hurt us.” Henry flashed his million dollar smile. “Will you, Thomas? Or we will just tap him for ourselves.” It was a sadistic, psychological move on Henry’s part.

  Thomas’s face went from scared to pasty white and horrified. Then he waved his waif arms in front of his gaunt body. “You have my word. I ain’t gonna hurt any of you.” Surprisingly, he was able to get the sentence out without a stammer.

  Henry yanked Sophie away and got about two inches from her face. “How dare you undermine me,” he growled with fury. Sophie jumped, tears welling up in her eyes again. “I am in charge of this group. You knew that from the moment you were instructed to bring me home. He’s going to decide his own fate. He should have that choice, unlike us!”

  Sophie looked at Henry as if he had two heads. “What about Nick? What about his fate? You decided that for him!”

  “I couldn’t help that! You understand what it’s like!” Henry growled, turned away from Sophie, and stalked to his truck. He cursed out a string of obscenities and kicked the back tire. His main focus was to get Elaina somewhere safe.

  “She ain’t gonna eat me when your back is turned, is she?”

  Henry stopped, turning to Thomas. “She will not touch you unless I say so. If you decide to go with us, you will be responsible for helping the group. You will not undermine me at all! Do you understand me?”

  “Yes…yes, sir. I think I would like to go with you.”

  “All right. Claire, you ride with me and keep an eye on Elaina. Nick and Thomas, ride with Sophie.” Not a sound came out of Sophie’s mouth. There was only an icy glare directed right at Henry. “Nick, keep an eye on the kid. Make sure he doesn’t try anything. If he does, enjoy.”