Blood Type
Infected
Book Two
Fallen To The Flame
Matthew Marchon
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Also available from Matthew Marchon
After Failure
Blood Type : Infected (Book One) – No Future For Man
The Acadia You Haven’t Seen (an off-trail hiking guide)
The White Mountains You Haven’t Seen (an off-trail hiking guide)
The White Mountains You Haven’t Seen: Waterfall Edition (an off-trail hiking guide)
Coming soon from Matthew Marchon
Poverty’s Poetry
The Stone Stairway
The White Mountains You Haven’t Seen: Waterfall Edition Volume II
The Caves Of Acadia
www.matthewmarchon.weebly.com
Copyright © 2018 by Matthew Marchon
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Designed by Matthew Marchon
The text of this book was set in Georgia
First edition October 2018
CHAPTER 1
“Alright, fine, I’m leaving. I’ll go.”
I don’t even have time to wrap my head around what’s happening. What am I doing? I’d be better off just letting him shoot me. I can’t survive a night out there, not in the state I’m in. And Neil knows that. That’s why he gave me the option. He’s not taking pity on me or showing me mercy, he’s sending me out there because he knows it’ll be a slower, more painful death. A death more suitable for someone like me. For someone who’s done the things I’ve done. For a murderer.
I grab my bat and stand on wobbly legs as Marty brings the bus to a halt.
“No, no, I don’t think so,” Neil growls in a tone I’ve never heard exit the lying cavern he calls a mouth. “The bat stays here. Drop it.”
“Kid, I know you think you’re doing the right thing,” Marty moans while putting the bus in park, “but this ain’t it. And let me tell you something right now, whether Noah’s on this bus or not, we ain’t going to that evacuation center until we know it’s operational.”
“What you decide to do after dropping us off,” Neil rationalizes calmly, still waving his gun in my face, “that’s on you. You can drive off a cliff for all I care. You can come back and find your little butt buddy and hope he hasn’t been turned into one of them yet. But we’re going to that evac center. Noah’s getting off the bus, and that’s all there is to it. Move,” he yells, tapping my temple with the cold and unforgiving barrel.
There’s nothing else I can do. If I try to wrestle the gun away from him, he’ll shoot me in the process, it’d be hard to miss at this distance. And Neil doesn’t miss. I’ve been hunting with him enough times to know. His dad don’t raise no sissies. That line has been directed at me more times than I can count, all because I didn’t want to shoot harmless animals. In all honesty, I think that’s why my dad stopped bringing me, I was an embarrassment. What’s really messed up is that my dad’s not a gun guy, he just defends them in court. Before he took that first case, he was against guns. Hell, we didn’t even eat the fish we’d catch, we threw them back. That’s what spending a little time with the Buckleys will do to a person. And if this asshole’s in charge, I don’t even want to be on the bus.
The door opens. A cool gust of air envelops me. Neil steps aside for me to make my exit, empty handed. If this were a couple hours ago, before the gas station, I could have made it. I could have handled myself, acquired new weapons and found a way to survive. But this isn’t a couple hours ago. This is a beaten down, exhausted, injured version of myself who can barely hold onto the railing without wincing in pain.
Nobody says anything. I know a good majority of them want me off this bus but even if they didn’t, there’s nothing they can do. Neil has the power now. He didn’t earn it. He stole it. He had to because he’s a Buckley, he has to be in charge whether he’s right for the position or not. He’s a leader, I’ll give him that, but where he’s going to lead them is certain death. And they’ll follow him blindly straight to it.
I put one foot in the grave and step off the bus. It’s almost a relief. A weight has been lifted. I know it won’t end well for any of us, but at least it’s out of my hands now. Since this whole thing started, I felt like I was responsible for everyone here. I got them to safety and it somehow became my responsibility to keep them safe. Now, it’s only me.
Felecia slowly gets to her feet, golf club in hand. Do not hit him. I can see the gears turning in her head. If she hits him with it, that gun is going off, intentionally or not. What would we do, throw him off instead? Kill him, like I already attempted? The bus is filled with of a bunch of Neil supporters, they’d overthrow us in a second.
But she doesn’t take a swing. If she was planning on it, her opportunity just passed. He turns to face her, probably wondering what the hell she’s doing. He’s in love with her, he won’t shoot her, I know that, but I still find myself worrying about her safety.
She drops the club, grips the railing for support and makes her way down the steps. She’s probably in just as rough shape as I am.
“What are you doing?” Neil asks, blocking the exit, careful not to turn his back to me.
“I’m leaving,” she says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re gonna have to move now.”
“Are you insane? I’m not letting you off. He’s gonna die out there. Felecia, you gotta give me a chance, just like you did him. I’ll get us to safety. I swear, I won’t let you down. He was gonna get us all killed. It’ll be better this way. We’re gonna be okay.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll take my chances out there with Noah. All of you should do the same,” she calls out with an unwavering voice. “Come back for us Marty, after you drop them off at the evacuation center that doesn’t exist so they can die screaming like the pussies that they are. We’ll still be alive.”
“I’m not letting you go,” Neil practically cries, his beating heart being ripped from his chest. I get it, all he wants is a chance, and she won’t give it to him.
“What are you gonna do, hold me hostage? Keep me as a slave under gunpoint so you can have your way with me. Wait, you’ve kinda done that already, haven’t you? Wasn’t everything you thought it was cracked up to be, was it? If Noah goes, I go.”
“This is fucking stupid,” Neil wails, panicking, as if waving the gun around will somehow convince her otherwise. “If he were there he would have done the same thing. I can only apologize so many times. I’m not perfect. I messed up. It wasn’t my idea, I just, I was drinking, I didn’t know what I was doing. I barely even remember that night. Felecia, I will make it up to you by getting you out of this alive. I swear on my life, I won’t ever let anything happen to you. I love you. Let me prove it.”
What in the hell are they talking about?
“Okay. Fine. You can prove it by getting out of my way and letting me off the damn bus. I’m going with Noah.”
“Get on!” He screams in frustration, both h
is hands shooting to his head like he’s trying to block out voices that won’t keep quiet. “Are you deaf Britton? I said get back on.”
I hear him but, I don’t know, I might not do it. There’s a feeling of peace out here. Trees. Lots and lots of trees. None of which are depending on me. None of them will get back up and try to eat me when they die. The only person I have to take care of is me. Because let’s face it, I get back on that bus, they’re all depending on me to do what they won’t, friends and enemies alike. The only other person who’s proven they might have a chance at surviving on their own out here is the only person who stood up in my defense. Not my friends, not my apparent girlfriend, but Felecia. And that means more to me than I’ll ever be able to express.
“I think I’ll stay out here,” I say after a long pause.
“Are you suicidal? I kicked you off the bus to die. You won’t last the night out there. Now get back on before every zombie in a ten mile radius smells you and comes running.”
When I show no sign of movement he aims the gun at me with a steady hand. Do I even care at this point? It’s the look on Felecia’s face that draws me toward the bus. I know how wrong that is. I know I’m an idiot. But there’s something between us, there has to be and I know I’m not the only one who feels it. She was willing to leave the security of the bus to be with me, alone, out here in the wasteland we once called home. She was willing to call it home again. A home more dangerous than any we’ve ever known, but it means she’d be here beside me. Or maybe it has nothing to do with me and she just knows we stand a better chance at survival watching one another’s back than protecting all of theirs.
Maybe she doesn’t have feelings for me, maybe we just make a good team. Why the hell would she help push me and Caylee together if she secretly wanted me for herself? That doesn’t even begin to make sense. I need to talk to her but I don’t see how that’s possible, it’s not exactly like there’s any privacy on the bus. But at the chance of finding out, I reluctantly shuffle my way back on. Right about now, that’s all the strength I can muster.
“Let’s get one thing clear,” he whispers, meeting me at the bottom of the stairs, “the only, and I mean the only, reason I’m letting you back on is because Felecia has some weird fascination with you. She’s mine Britton. You got your own girl. Felecia’s mine. So whatever screwed up shit you got going on between you, it’s over. She’s sitting with me. I’ll tell her whatever I have to in order to make her mine and if you even try to get in the way of that, I’ll kill you. Understand?”
“I understand. I understand completely. You’re not man enough to beat me, in any aspect of life, so just like on the track, you need me to lie down for you. So you can win.”
“Mark my words Britton, I’m going to blow your brains out. I’m gonna tell her every fucked up thing about you, and she’s gonna ask me to kill you. And when she does, I won’t hesitate. Now get on the bus, sit down and shut the fuck up. You,” he says in Marty’s direction, “take us to the evacuation center.”
“Take yourself Princess Dipshit. I been driving this rig around all friggin’ day, I’m not about to make a four hour drive at 10:00 at night. We’re parking this thing and getting some shuteye. That’s all there is to it.”
Neil aims the gun at Marty. “Now.”
“Feel free to take the wheel then. Whether you shoot me and drive there now or shoot me and drive there in the morning, if I’m dead I ain’t driving your sorry ass anywhere. So I’d say you got a decision to make Little Lady.”
“Call me that again and I’ll blow your brains all over the windshield. We leave first thing in the morning.”
CHAPTER 2
I’m exhausted. Every muscle in my body aches, whether from physical exertion or stress taking its toll on my nerves. My wrist is so swollen I can barely move it. I need a hot bath or a cold shower or a full body massage from Fele– Caylee. I need a massage from Caylee. My girlfriend. Kind of. I guess we’re a thing now. I don’t know, there’s a damn zombie apocalypse going on out there. She’s amazing, she really is. But so is Felecia. I wouldn’t have said that before today, before all this. Yesterday it wouldn’t have been a question. But today isn’t yesterday. And our world isn’t the same. I hope with all my heart that we can go back. But something tells me that ship has sailed.
Caylee is the girl you bring home to meet your parents. This is the girl you marry and have kids with. She’s the girl you build a life with. I see it clear as day. I knew it the moment I laid eyes on her and with every minute that passes I become more sure of that. My friends would love her. She’d fit right in. I can see us all going to the mall and the movies, hanging out at each other’s houses. Road trips and days at the beach. All the normal stuff that we look forward to.
Normal has changed. All that stuff is gone now. When that convoy of military buses picks us up and brings us someplace safe, it’s not going to bring us back to the life we knew. We’ll be entering the new world, whatever that may be. What I do know is that everything we took for granted has been lost. I watched us lose it firsthand. It’s time to rebuild, and I don’t know which life I’m building towards. Caylee is the clear choice here, so why can’t I stop thinking about Felecia?
As I wearily climb back onto the bus, ready to fall over backwards with every step, I can’t stop myself from wishing he just let the two of us go. Somehow I know, we’d be fine out there. I’m tempted to turn and make a run for it because anything is better than being under the leadership of a Buckley. But let’s face it, I don’t have the strength left in me. In my heart I know Felecia is thinking the same thing but she shuffles up the steps begrudgingly.
Neil walks her back to her seat, giving me my opening. I could run right now and escape into the darkness but I can’t do it, physically or emotionally. I need to be here, with my friends. I’m not ready to give up on the lives we worked so hard to build, maybe we can still go back. Maybe these past seventeen years haven’t been in vain. Maybe mankind survives and carries on as we always have. I can’t risk losing the future I fear we’ll never see.
“What the hell happened out there?” Marty asks in a low pitch growl while closing the door. “Where’s the kid with the mohawk?”
“He didn’t make it,” I say coldly, not wanting to go into detail. “Did you get enough gas?”
“Enough to make our stop worthwhile but we ain’t full.”
“Can we make it to the evacuation center?”
“We could if that’s where we were going.” He rubs his mustache, his eyes not leaving mine. He plans on disobeying Neil’s orders.
“I can’t do this Marty. This was one day. I want to say I’ll be here fighting beside you but I can’t keep doing this. Let someone else do the fighting. I can’t do it anymore. I don’t know how I’m gonna make it these next few days. I can barely move my hand,” I say, holding up my swollen wrist. “Everything hurts. I’ve come so close to death so many times I’m not convinced I’m actually still alive. Like this is all just in my head before my brain stops working and it’ll all go black at any second. I can’t go back out there. I’m out of fight. There’s nothing left in me. We gotta get to that evacuation center. You’re sure we have enough gas?”
“Three days is a long time brother. Fuck what Captain Dickwad here wants, we ain’t sitting there waiting for days. If we’re driving around most of the time, we’re gonna need to gas up again. Plus, we gotta have enough for me to turn around and leave after dropping you guys off.”
“Marty…”
“No. I’m not putting my life in the government’s hands. I ain’t living in no concentration camp.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“Anything I have to do to stay alive. I’m gonna do what we should all be doing right now. Find someplace safe to make base, fortify that son of a bitch, stockpile anything I can get my hands on and live god damn it. The way man was meant to. Wild. And free. And not under the rule of some douchelord with a gun who always thinks his way is right. He
re,” he says, passing me a bandage roll from his first aid kit, “get some rest. In three days’ time, we’ll see where you stand. Because I’m betting you’ll be done taking orders from someone who thinks they know more than you. Hey, you killed him, didn’t you?”
He takes my silence as an affirmative.
“You really think it can all go back to normal after that? You got blood on your hands son, and it ain’t theirs. That’s human blood, because you do what needs to be done. Last thing you need is to answer to someone who ain’t been through half of what you’ve been through in the last 24 hours. I know you want all this, proms, friends, dates, what every other teenager out there wants, it’s what you’re owed. That’s what you’re supposed to get. You should be thinking about colleges, not evacuation centers. I get it, it was ripped away from you. But you gotta face facts, it was ripped away. We’re not going back to that. Wherever they take you in their armored buses, it ain’t back to the life you knew. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you start working towards something new. This is about survival now, and you survived the shit out of this apocalypse. Sleep on it, see where your head’s at in the morning. If you wanna put your life in the government’s hands, I’ll get you there, you have my word. But I don’t think that’s what you’re gonna want.”
I pat him on the shoulder and slide into my seat with Caylee. They were listening. I can tell. The back of the bus may not have been able to hear but Caylee, Darius and Tyrone definitely did. Their sullen faces say it all. They’re in the same place I am. What do we do? I know that smug son of a bitch is right, I know he is just as well as he does, but I don’t like it any more than they do.
Letting someone else do the fighting sounds so nice. I bet I wouldn’t mind if I wasn’t already out there on the frontlines, at war with the future of mankind. How can I trust someone to fight for me, to hold my life in their hands, to make the right decisions I already know they won’t make? If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. I know they can’t save us, and I know that I can. But it’s a burden I don’t want to carry.
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