by Cass Kim
“Ditto,” Renna choked the word out, needing to reassure her friend.
Emerson offered Renna the water bottle again. Renna was still so tired. She tried to keep her eyes open, to hear what they had to say. There was so much she must have missed out on.
“Let’s let her rest,” Emerson told Alyssa. “We’ll come back a little later,” he assured Renna before making his way slowly toward the tent entrance.
“I’m just going to sit with her for a while, while she sleeps. You go rest.” Alyssa whispered, her weight staying reassuringly firm next to Renna on the bed.
Chapter Eighteen
When she woke next, Alyssa was gone but, Emerson was in a chair next to the bed, slouched and reading one of Syd’s books. His mother was feeling Renna’s forehead, her hand soothing and slightly cool. The thought bothered Renna. Soo was changed, she should be radiating heat. Did that mean…? Trying not to panic, Renna looked around the tent again, noting that there was no lamp or glow stick illuminating the interior. It was gloomy, and dim. But she could see. She didn’t think she could see well enough to read like Emerson was, but she could make out Soo’s facial expression as she counted Renna’s pulse.
“You are awake.” Soo smiled softly down at her. “Would you like to try to sit up now?” Renna saw Emerson start and fold a corner over in the book. She was pretty sure he’d hear about that later from Syd.
“Um, yeah. Yes please.” Renna’s voice was slightly stronger now. Soo helped her pull the sheet back and Renna was relieved to see she had on her soft cotton sleep shorts and a tee shirt.
Carefully, and with help from Soo, Renna rolled, then slid her legs to the side of the bed, tipping up to sitting position in a slow arc. She felt dizzy for a moment. Her head cleared as she stayed still. Everything ached, but her lower back and right hip had an especially deep ache.
As if reading her mind, Soo offered, “Your hip will be sore for a few days yet. We harvested your bone marrow, as previously discussed, two days ago.” The older woman smiled slow and wide.
Emerson stood, gingerly straightening his shoulders. Her gaze sought for his wound, and she could see the bulky outline of a bandage under his shirt. That long trek through the woods came back to her slowly. The fall at the end. That must be what had happened to Alyssa’s arm.
She remembered, then, the rip in her glove, and Emerson’s blood coating her scraped hand. Her eyes flashed up to his, watching her with concern, and also something else. Something that looked a lot like hope.
Soo patted her hand, still smiling. “Your antibodies are special, Renna. They’re very promising. The serum we’re creating is already showing results in the treatment of your brother and several others that have been brought in.”
Chapter Nineteen
Two weeks later Renna limped into the mess hall, leaning heavily on Alyssa. Her hip and lower back were still sore from where they’d harvested another batch of bone marrow. Alyssa still had her arm in a sling. She’d broken her collar bone when she fell that night. Tim Tam followed behind them, still more friendly with Alyssa than Renna since her change. Syd was at her usual table already, holding up a book and lecturing Emerson on the importance of treating the pages with respect.
Emerson got up as the girls neared and pulled out Renna’s chair. She didn’t need his sunglasses to be off to know that his smile was genuine. They’d spent a lot of time together as they both healed.
“It’s about time they let the hero of the half-pocalypse out of isolation!” Syd greeted her, setting the book back on the table.
Renna shifted her gaze to her new friend. “From what I hear, you’re actually the hero.” Syd hadn’t visited her once in isolation, so Renna hadn’t had a chance to thank her for her quick actions.
“Ppshhh. I knew if I didn’t save you, this one,” she jerked her thumb toward Emerson, “would never forgive himself for you dying.” Syd downplayed the moment.
“No,” Renna gazed seriously across the table, pulling off her sunglasses to meet Syd’s eyes through a squint. “If you hadn’t given me the serum with Emerson’s T-cells, and the vaccine we wouldn’t be where we are today. And my brother wouldn’t still be alive.”
Syd nodded, meeting her gaze seriously, “It was a risk, I’m glad I took it. I hope it works all the way, Renn.”
When Syd had seen Renna infected with Emerson’s blood that night, she’d run back to the main lab tent and grabbed one of the older vials of serum from when they’d been testing the Kim family antibodies. Then she’d dosed Renna with that and with the remaining vaccine. It was a miracle that Renna hadn’t died. Rather than dying, Renna’s body had produced antibodies that could fight both the older virus, and the mutating virus. It wasn’t perfect yet, but it was a start on a cure. The four settled into companionable silence over their food. After she’d finished, Sydney left to get back to the lab. She spent most of her days and nights there now.
“Oh, man, Renoodle, we have got to work on Tim Tam. When I went to visit Jammin, he was hissing and growling like mad.” Alyssa went daily to sit outside the more secure tent Benjamin was in. She’d sit for hours, talking to him through the reinforced tenting. Mostly, she said she was telling him stories about their shared childhood, to bring him back. Renna didn’t know if it would help, but she figured it couldn’t hurt.
“Timmy Tammy will get better. He stopped hissing at me and Emerson after a few days of being here.” She gave the cat a small piece of her chicken under the table, her thoughts shifting to her brother. “How’s he been?” Renna wasn’t strong enough yet to go and visit him where he was being monitored on the far edges of the camp.
Alyssa was hesitant, then plowed on in her honest way, “He’s still...not Jammin. But, he doesn’t run at the tent side anymore. I think he’s listening.” She stirred her food around, not eating. In a small voice, she continued, “I wish Diamond was here. I think if we could just play him some music, it would really help.”
“I wish she was too.” Renna swallowed hard, thinking of what the world must look like back home right now.
She knew that eventually they’d have to explain everything to their mom. She wasn’t going to take on that challenge without her brother by her side. Some of the non-infected scientists had left that morning to start sharing their research with the government. Renna hoped that they had enough evidence to convince the officials that they were safe to be left out here, in their own little society. As with so many things, only time would tell.
Volume Three
Consequences
1
Renna
Renna sat at the table in the Kim’s dim cabin. Her left hip was sore from yet another marrow draw. It was the fourth one since she’d woken from the medically induced coma a month ago. The night was just starting, which was typically when she visited the Kim cabin. Further from the camp center than her own small space, it was soothing. Night was when more electricity was drawn, as the normal humans turned on flashlights, and amped up the generators to create light.
It also helped that Mrs. Kim was there, with her calm manner. Something about the lack of extra fidgeting movement most Wilders had, her stillness, always eased Renna’s mind. Somehow, despite all the long hours she worked, Soo Kim always had time to check in with her son, Emerson, every night. Renna tried to get to their cabin before Soo left for the labs. With her brother, Benjamin, still unpredictably wild, she had a hard time keeping her mind from racing with what-ifs. And she missed her own mom, strained though their relationship may be.
“Hey, who’s going to go for the supply run this time?” Syd’s drawl preceded her entrance to the cabin, flashlight in hand, knock non-existent.
Renna’s hip throbbed with her quick twist to see her new friend. Syd’s hair had grown out a bit, and droplets from the cold mist sparkled in the tight, natural curls.
Syd tilted the flashlight beam from the ceiling to the floor, trying to spare the three pairs of reflective, light sensitive eyes turned toward her. “Yo, I’
m just wonderin’ because we need about six thousand things at this point, and you know I ain’t making a run into town.” Syd flashed a toothy grin at Emerson as she patted her hair carefully into place.
“Yeah, Girl Genius, you probably forgot how to go anywhere but to work, sleep, and eat anyhow,” Emerson answered. “Surprised you found your way here.” His grin made Renna’s stomach flutter. There was something so much lighter now in that expression.
Syd tapped her head, “Photographic memory, Professor X. Photo-graphic-perfect-like-me—”
Her stream of boasting was cut off by the dishtowel Emerson tossed at her face.
“That is enough. If you will choose to roughhouse, you will choose to leave the cabin to do it.” Soo’s voice was soft, but firm. So different from Renna’s own mom.
“Aw, Ma. We’ll get a supply run organized.” Emerson caught the towel Syd threw back at him. “Renna, wanna come with me? I promise it’ll be better than the last trip we took to town.” He hung the towel carefully over a cabinet knob, gaze hidden.
Renna grimaced. “I don’t know if it could possibly be worse.” The trip that had simultaneously sealed her fate as something other and offered the first real potential to save the world. Yeah. It’d be hard for any trip to be worse than that trip.
He turned around, gaze serious. “You won’t have to carry me a step of it this time.” He drew an X across his heart with one calloused finger.
Renna couldn’t help the small smile that curved her lips at the gesture. A reminder of the first day they’d met, when he’d promised not to listen to her pee in the outhouse. “Good. I bet Alyssa would be down to go too. She gets itchy being trapped in one area too long. I bet she’s dying to get out of here. We’ll make it a group thing.”
“Whoa, hey, Patient Zero. You can’t leave the camp.” Syd snapped her fingers, breaking the moment, and tearing Renna’s gaze over to her. “You’re the most precious commodity we have here.”
“Oh.” She tried to hide her disappointment. “Yeah, right. That makes sense.” Renna studied the scar on her hand, clearing her throat. “But I think Alyssa would still want to go. How… um… how is town, anyhow?” She held her breath for Syd’s answer.
“It ain’t good. But it ain’t as bad as it could be.” Syd shrugged, never one to volunteer too much of the information she gained from having the only working long range radio in the camp. She liked to parcel it out, bit by bit.
“Sydney, if you would, I’d like to know more. I could just ask Janeece, though here and now is easier.” Soo’s voice, across the table from Renna, was matter of fact as she finished the last of the formula she’d been working through. She set her pencil down, folded her hands carefully, and looked at Syd.
“Aw, C’mon Mrs. Kim, you really gotta bring my Ma into this? Like I’m some kindergartener.” Syd unzipped her jacket as she settled onto the bench next to Renna. She purposefully matched Soo’s pose with a cheeky grin before continuing. “Alright, ya’ll listen up. Here’s what we know: there’s some kind of half-quarantine set up that’s isolating Cupboard Lake. So, whoever does the supply run might have to go a different route, a longer trip to a different town. So far as we know, the new spread of the faster virus is here and, like, five or six other cities in the US. Maybe two or three other small town areas too. Kind of crazy, right? Guess these are just the places it hit the right genetics to morph.” Syd took a deep breath and continued, her words tripping out in one long stream, “Any-who-nanny, not sure what it means for the timing of the big bad government scientists swooping in and sticking their necks into our work.” She held up a hand to stop Mrs. Kim’s small frown. “I know, I know, we need them. But, we came out here for a reason. I just want to be sure they don’t turn this into a torture lab, ya feel?”
Soo shook her head slowly. “Yes, I… feel. We have contacted a trusted source, with a great deal of power. They will be good people, and helpful. Not ‘big bad government scientist.’ Although, I do believe we expected a response within a month. It appears we will have a longer wait than initially anticipated. Perhaps there should also be a pharmacy stop during this supply run.” She stood, graceful, somehow not even scraping the bench along the floor. “I shall speak to my husband, and we will create a list of what we need for our work.” Without another word she was out of the cabin and into the woods.
“Alright, well if Renna can’t go, maybe I’ll stay.” Emerson ran a hand through his hair as he sat in his mom’s vacated spot.
Syd rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Ha, yeah, okay. Because there’s somebody else that has explored these woods as much as you?” She snorted, patting her hair again. “There’s nobody else that knows the way like you. So, sorry, but ya’ll gonna be separated.” She paused for dramatic effect, holding one hand up. “Young love–oh the romance... and stupidity.”
“We’re not in love!” Renna rushed to exclaim. Her face heated immediately, and she fumbled to make her hands busy.
“We aren’t together like that.” Emerson protested a little too loud, standing to put away the cup he’d washed earlier.
Syd chuckled, deep and throaty. “Then ya’ll both are fools.” With that, she stood and zipped her jacket up before stepping back into the damp night.
2
Alyssa
Alyssa pulled the borrowed hoodie tighter to her body, hoping to shield herself from the biting wind. Winter was marching toward them almost as fast as the mutated virus was spreading. She shook the industrial glow stick in her hand, a feeble attempt to generate more light, as she contemplated which would be a worse way to die: freezing to death or Wilder mauling? One would be slow and miserable, the other fast and terrifying. Then again, she’d already killed one Wilder. She’d kill another if she had to.
There was no way to fight the cold, though. Hell, out here she could never seem to escape it. And it wasn’t even winter yet. At least with a Wilder you had a chance. You could avoid it, escape it, or kill it.
If she had to choose, she’d rather die fast and reckless. Not that she was planning to die anytime soon. Shaking the glow stick again, she rolled her eyes. How had she even gotten on this train of thought anyhow?
Pushing the thought away, Alyssa picked her way carefully along the path and watched as Tim Tam hurdled a log before cruising under bushes alongside her. This was their nightly ritual. Had been for weeks. First, trek to the far outskirts of camp, to the reinforced tents where they kept the things that go bump in the night. Sit for an hour or so next to the tent that held Jammin. Once she’d spent as long as she could talking to a tent side, she would grab Tim Tam from his guard position at the edge of the woods and head over to meet Renna, and typically Emerson, in the mess hall for a late dinner. Given her lack of night vision, she’d usually go to bed shortly after that. She still kept human hours.
As Alyssa neared the Wilder tents she reached into her back pocket and thumbed her phone open. With the strict rules about not having cell service on, as it could be traced, she really just kept it to look at the photos. With a heavy sigh, she thumbed through the old albums, looking for a new memory to visit. The big ones were worn thin now with re-tellings.
Her thumb paused over a photo with four friends crammed close together. Smiling up at her were faces she didn’t even know anymore. Renna, eyes normal, face not gaunt and too-skinny from fevers and needle sticks. Benjamin, his easy half smile and lazy curls flopping over one eye. Smooth, and confident in knowing exactly where he belonged in the world. Diamond. Alyssa swallowed hard, her gaze tracing the high line of the older girl’s cheek bones. As if she could memorize her back to life. As if she could overwrite the last memory she had of her friend, decomposing in Benjamin’s car.
And her own face, fresh make-up and perfectly straight and shiny hair. Careless, bold. Brave, and happy despite an unhappy home. What wouldn’t she give to feel that brave again?
Shit. Heaving a heavy breath out, Alyssa flicked further back, looking for something simpler. Easier. Lighter.
She couldn’t be telling Benjamin Diamond stories. She couldn’t even handle telling them to herself.
Sensing her mood, Tim Tam wound his body around her legs, tail wrapping and unwrapping around her knees. “Prreow?” he questioned, his green eyes begging for a cheek scratch.
“Yeah, you’re right, Timmy Tammy.” Alyssa held the power button down on her phone as she bent to oblige the cat. “You big beast. I’ll just tell the one about when Renna thought the broom belonged to a witch again. Jammin really lived that up, hiding it around the house while she slept.” Her fingers combed sticks from the fur in the cat’s neck as a small smile played on her lips. That had been a hilarious October. “He always loved to tell that story.” She stood, tucking the powered down phone into her back pocket. She’d learned the hard way not to approach the tents with anything electronic on.
Alyssa tossed her long blond hair behind her and squared her shoulders. She could be brave for an hour. Just for one hour at a time.
3
Renna
Renna carried her bowl and an extra one for Alyssa, from the food line. “Hey, Emerson, do you think they’d let us put something fun on the grocery list? Like candy, or cookies? Just a little pick-me-up? Or like maybe some make-up at the drug store?” She looked around and lowered her voice as they reached their usual round table. “I think Alyssa could really use something, Emerson. You have to take her with you.”
Emerson nodded as he mixed the rice and vegetables together. “Yeah, I know.” His eyes, once so strange and new, met hers for a moment. “I’ll look into it. She’s not Wilder fast, though, you know? If we gotta go further to get things, it’s going to take longer.” He shoveled a bite of food in his mouth, brows furrowed. Any humans probably couldn’t see their facial expressions in the glow stick lit tent, but Renna knew the other half-human half-Wilders like them would have near-perfect vision in the dim light.