Taylor was saved from having to form a response as they reached the cafeteria. The long, single-story structure featured a crowd of large windows and a sign outside the entrance showing the menu for the day.
“Oh, look. They have lasagna,” Taylor said, reaching for the door.
Jason gave her a disapproving stare but Taylor already decided she was done with the conversation. “Come on. Let’s eat.”
The cafeteria set-up looked like any school lunchroom: bench-styled seats in rows in the center of the room. A tray station marked the beginning of the cafeteria line leading into a long journey across multiple food stations.
Taylor walked directly to the front of the line and picked up a hard plastic tray. By now, she ignored the guards that followed her altogether. However, she did steal a glance behind her to see if Jason followed. He stood there with a look of disapproval on his face.
“Frank said you’re helping the captain monitor the perimeter of the compound?” Taylor said idly.
Jason paused, debating internally whether or not he would let her off the hook. He must have taken pity on her because he allowed the conversation to shift course. “Yep, we have this place monitored six miles in every direction. I’m overseeing the drones and the turrets.”
Taylor loaded her tray with salads and pastas. Although the food looked appetizing, she wondered how quality the cuisine could really be. “Drones? Have they picked up any activity?”
Piling food on his own plate, Jason replied, “We have the drones six miles out, the turrets are two miles from the facility. Captain Martin is in charge of the watchtowers a mile out, as well as the patrols on the wall and inside the Ark.” Jason followed Taylor to an empty table. “The activity was light at first, about what we expected. There were a few stragglers here and there, nothing we didn’t anticipate. We took them down without issue.”
Taylor stuffed a fork full of pasta into her mouth as she processed Jason’s words. Curiously enough, the tone of his statement wasn’t matching his facial expression. The news he related was positive, yet his brow displayed worry.
“I’m sensing there is a ‘but’ coming?” Taylor asked, munching on her carb-loaded lunch.
“Yes, there is. Over the last few days there has been nothing. No sign of any infected on the scanners or through the drones. It’s like—”
“Like they’re waiting for something,” Taylor finished.
Jason’s eyes shot up. “That’s right. I know it’s crazy to think they can strategize or coordinate anything. I mean, we saw them firsthand. They’re nothing more than madness in human form.”
The two sat quiet for a moment, then Taylor asked the question that had been plaguing her since she woke. “How is the world faring outside?”
Jason’s face turned from perplexed to gloom. “I wish I could say we knew. We’ve lost contact with—well, with everyone. If that is any indication, I think it’s safe to say the world as we know it is over. As far as we’re concerned, we’re humanity’s last hope at beating this.”
“Great,” Taylor said, polishing off her plate of pasta and starting on the salad. “No pressure, right?”
“Well, you made it,” Jason said with an attempt at a smile. “If the serum worked on you, then there’s hope that we can find a cure or an antidote for what Lazarus started.”
Taylor forced a smile. She wanted to tell him there was no hope. She wanted to tell him the serum only created more questions. Until she knew what was happening to her, she needed to keep it to herself or as few people as possible.
CHAPTER 42
That night Taylor skipped dinner to be by herself. In the meager comfort of her room, she sat on her bed facing her desk. Staring at the toothbrush she placed on the piece of furniture, she focused.
To anyone else, she would have seemed like a crazy person. Who in their right mind thought they could move things using only their mental muscle? Taylor doubted whether she could, but she needed to start somewhere.
Trained in multiple styles of martial arts and self-defense techniques, Taylor was an expert at clearing her mind from all distractions and focusing on a single goal.
Eyes closed, she emptied her mind. All questions, thoughts on her current situation, or the events surrounding her vanished. The only thing remaining was a void. Clear of any disruptions, Taylor controlled her breath. Calm inhaling gave way to steady exhaling.
She gently lifted her eyelids and fixated on the toothbrush in front of her. The item itself was nothing special. A clear, generic handle met an army of stoic white bristles at the top of the dental cleaning tool. In Taylor’s mind there was nothing else. Everything in the room fell away. All that existed in the world were she and the object of her interest.
Then, she allowed one more idea to enter her world. She formed the command for the toothbrush to move. Instinct told her to raise a hand. She lifted her left arm off the bed. Palm open, she stared at the toothbrush and demanded its compliance. Nothing happened at first, and then Taylor witnessed the impossible.
Gradually, as if an invisible fishing line was hooking the toothbrush, it jerked up and down. Shock, joy, but above all, wonder grabbed at Taylor and threatened to break the mental stability she had created. She pushed back all the distracting thoughts and questions and focused harder.
In seconds, the toothbrush rose completely off the table. Taylor’s hand motioned right and left, the toothbrush followed.
Knocking on the door broke her concentration. The toothbrush fell with a light clatter to the desktop.
“Yes?” she said, trying to cope with what she had done. “Who is it?”
“It’s Frank.” As if reading her thoughts, he continued, “I’m alone. I was wondering if we could talk.”
Taylor’s mind ran in a dozen different directions at once. She was struggling to find an answer for her new abilities. Now Frank, whom she had told her secret to in a moment of despair, stood right outside her door. “Come in.”
Frank opened the door, quickly stepped inside, and shut it behind him. “Don’t worry, the guards are down the hall so there’s no chance of them hearing us.” Frank took in Taylor’s expression, then her position seated facing the toothbrush on the desk in front of her. “Are you okay?”
“Did you tell Wade or Dr. Spear about our conversation?”
Frank looked hurt. He quickly recovered with a shake of his head. “Of course not. I definitely want more answers. The doctor knows something is up with the way your calf healed, but I didn’t say anything.”
“Thanks. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s…there’s a lot happening. I’m not used to having to rely on or trust other people.”
Frank waved off her apology. “Don’t worry about it. I only want to revisit our conversation from earlier today. Did you say you could move things with your mind?”
Taylor decided to trust him. For better or worse, her mind was made up. Frank had already proven his loyalty by keeping her information this long. If he was going to tell anyone, he’d had plenty of time to have done so.
“I think I better show you.”
Frank looked on wide-eyed as Taylor tuned back to the toothbrush on the desk, repeating the process with the same effect. This time it seemed easier for her. She twisted the toothbrush in the air and performed a few figure eights before she looked back to Frank with a smile.
To Frank’s credit, he was still on his feet. His lower jaw was open so wide, Taylor spotted a few fillings in his rear molars. His eyes were glued to the toothbrush.
“What was in that serum you gave me?” Taylor asked.
Frank closed his mouth and readjusted his glasses. “We—we altered Vanidrum based on the information we extracted from James Jones. We reverse engineered the drug, but this…this was never a possibility. Somehow, we’ve opened a door to a world we know nothing about. We should have never tried the serum on you.”
“You had to,” Taylor said, lowering the toothbrush to the desk. “I would have died without it. I’m fre
aked out, and some kind of witch now, but at least I’m alive.”
Frank’s face was the picture of mental overload. “Do you want to sit down?” Taylor asked.
Frank nodded. “I think I’d better.”
Taylor exchanged places with Frank as he voiced the question she was thinking. “I wonder if you didn’t also receive some kind of advanced healing when the drug changed you.”
Taylor shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. Have you given anyone else the serum?”
“No, no one else has needed it yet. Can you move anything you want?”
“I don’t know. Let’s see.” Taylor focused on her bed. This time she let her hand stay by her side. In a second, it moved then began to lift off the floor.
Frank squealed as he jumped off the hovering piece of furniture. “Wow, a warning would have been nice.”
“Sorry,” Taylor said, lowering the bed back to the floor gently. “I wasn’t even sure if I could do it. It was actually easy that time. I think somehow once I opened my mind to the idea that I can move things with telekinesis, it’s easier. The learning curve disappeared.”
“And there’s nothing else?” Frank asked.
“I get a headache that varies in pain every so often but that’s it. That and the weird dream I had the other night.”
“So what now?”
Taylor turned to Frank. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, we are clearly dealing with something that is way over both our heads here.” Frank lifted both hands palms up in a sign of surrender. “You’re the closest thing to a real friend that I have and I would never betray your trust. I’m suggesting you should seriously consider telling Dr. Spear what is happening to you. She’s not a bad guy. She can help.”
Taylor considered the idea. She crossed her arms over her chest weighing the pros and cons. “I don’t know. Wade already has me under armed guard and half my day is tests and observation. What happens when I tell them I can move things with my mind? I don’t want to be anyone’s lab rat.”
“I get it, I really do. With that said, you may hold the key that can get humankind out of this mess. At least think about telling them.”
“I’ll think about it.”
CHAPTER 43
That night after Frank left, Taylor fell into a deep sleep. Exhausted from the day’s events and the mental strain from using her newfound abilities, slumber came easier than she anticipated.
She dreamed this time not about a mirror image of her darkness, but of thousands of those consumed by the acutely worst humans were capable of. They didn’t communicate to her, they looked to each other. Not so much in words as in thoughts.
It was as if they were interconnecting on a cerebral level. Taylor was able to feel what they felt with no words being passed between them. There were hundreds, thousands of former human beings. They were roving, searching, waiting. As one mass of nails and teeth, the infected humans were calling to more and more of their kind.
It took Taylor only a moment to realize they were gathering. The scene of their location was too vague. To Taylor, who was unfamiliar with the Alaskan landscape, it all looked the same, especially during the night. Hidden by clouds, the moon did nothing to help her pick out landmarks. All she saw were mountains and trees in every direction.
She floated above them under no power of her own. Suspended in air, she was helpless to do anything except watch. As she witnessed the gathering of the infected below, their thoughts touched hers.
Consume the light.
Spread.
Wait for more.
Kill.
Turn them all.
These thoughts and others scraped at her mind. If they were aware of Taylor’s presence, they showed no sign.
The strength of their voice grew as more voices of madness took up the call to infect and silence the light. Their cadence and volume grew until they were screaming to one another in Taylor’s mind. The voices were full of hate. So much so, Taylor’s fear melted to pity.
The monsters were of one mind, incapable of having any other thought. As their numbers continued to grow, a sick realization struck Taylor. They were waiting for something. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize what they were waiting for.
Taylor’s stomach twisted deep in the pit of her core. They were gathering numbers and waiting somewhere outside the Ark. Once their numbers swelled, they would overrun the facility.
Panic unlike any Taylor had experienced washed over her like a cold wind. In the darkness, she witnessed the mob of infected below her direct their eyes heavenward. As one, they locked eyes with her and howled in rage. One thought came at her from all their minds at once.
The light!
Painful flashes seared through Taylor’s consciousness. Images came one second, then were gone the next. Pictures of a throng of infected charging through the forest, another of them climbing the Ark’s exterior walls, the front gate being battered to the ground, and death for all those inside.
Taylor woke with a scream, her chest heaving. For the second time in as many days, she tried to calm her breathing. Her nightmare remained too fresh in her mind to allow herself to calm completely. What she needed to do was clear to her. If the Ark stood any chance against the approaching darkness, they needed to be warned.
CHAPTER 44
Taylor hadn’t been able to fall back to sleep. Fatigue pulled at her eyes as she sat in front of Wade and Dr. Spear, concerns for her own safety aside. The doctor had been shocked when Taylor arrived for her battery of exams earlier. She was surprised when Taylor asked for an audience with her and Wade.
Now it was time for Taylor to explain. She had to put her own wellbeing aside and try to make them understand things she was only starting to comprehend herself.
“Taylor?” Wade sat in a chair to her left. Though the examining room was spacious, Taylor felt confined in the quarters.
“Yes, sorry. I’m sure you both must be concerned with me calling this meeting. While I’m a bit confused with what exactly is going on myself, I need you to hear me out. The fate of this project, the lives inside the Ark, depend on it.”
If Taylor didn’t have their attentions earlier, she did now. Wade and Dr. Spear exchanged wary looks with one another then turned their gaze back to Taylor. Dr. Spear sat on the edge of her seat, her pristine lab coat wrinkling underneath her weight.
“Whatever you gave me in the serum, I think it not only healed me and amplified the light I carry inside, I think it also connected me with those infected by this disease.” Taylor stopped to take in the effect of her words thus far. Her audience was wide-eyed. “The serum changed me. Like Vanidrum found the darkest piece of a human’s soul and amplified it, I think the serum found a way to combat the darkness.”
Taylor was losing them. They looked confused now, struggling to search for meaning in the words Taylor didn’t even understand.
She sighed. “Maybe it will be better if I show you.”
Taylor searched the examining room, her eyes landing on a stethoscope placed on a steel tray full of equipment. With a mind-nudge, she lifted the stethoscope and willed it to float to the middle of the room. When she was sure her display had its desired affects, Taylor placed the tool back on the tray.
Silence pushed its awkward presence into every corner of the room. Wade was clearly shocked. He scratched the underside of his jaw looking uncomfortable. Dr. Spear’s eyes were enormous as she stared at Taylor as though she were some kind of alien.
“And that’s not all,” Taylor said. “I think the serum connected me to the infected, like two sides of a coin. I can hear their voices and see them in my dreams. The reason there has been such little activity against the Ark is because they are massing. As crazy as this may sound, they are preparing for an assault on the compound that will leave this place a tomb. I’ve seen it.”
There, she was done. She would live with anything that happened to her now. Despite the danger to her own wellbeing in which the information d
ivulged placed her, Taylor knew she had done the right thing.
Now as she waited for a response, her body wanted nothing more than to squirm in her seat.
Finally, Wade spoke. “Taylor, you’ve been through more than any one of us.”
Taylor was confused. Wade’s inflection spoke of wonder, but also something else, something darker.
“The serum has obviously granted you a kind of telekinetic ability. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have never believed it.” Wade paused to take a long breath. “For your safety and everyone else’s, I think it’s best we sedate you until we can figure out whether you are a danger to yourself.”
The walls of Taylor’s mouth went dry. Out of all the possible scenarios, this was the worst. “I’m still me, Wade. I’m Taylor Hart. You don’t need to imprison or drug me, we need to be focusing our attention on the defense of the Ark. They’re coming.”
“And you know this because a dream told you?” Dr. Spear’s voice reflected no sarcasm, yet her words were also empty of any reassurance.
“I know this all sounds crazy,” Taylor said. “We now live in a world where darkness has been awoken inside the deepest parts of a person’s heart through help of a drug. Who knows what else is in store for us now? Whatever you decide to do to me, please promise me you’ll take my warning seriously. They are coming.”
Wade nodded.
“You can move things with a thought?” the doctor asked.
“Yes,” Taylor responded. “It’s new to me. I’m not sure how far my powers extend or if they stop at telekinesis.”
“Taylor,” Wade said, his voice low, “I want you to understand I do trust you. I’ll take your warning seriously and relay the information to Jason and Captain Martin. However, even you don’t know what you are capable of. I have a responsibility to these people to do everything I can to keep them safe.” Wade rose from his chair and walked to the door. He stuck his head outside to the hall and exchanged a few words Taylor wasn’t able to make out with the guards.
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