The Infected, a PODs Novel

by Michelle K. Pickett

  “No,” I slurred.

  Devlin put a cup to my mouth. I took a small sip and swallowed. The warm liquid burned the back of my throat. The second sip I choked on. I coughed and gagged, but was able to keep the broth down.

  “That’s better than nothing,” Cat said.

  Devlin pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and shook his head. “It’s not enough.”

  I just wanted to sleep. I closed my eyes. It felt like the room was spinning. Around and around I went, like water down a drain. Until the voices in the room quieted and sleep sucked me in.

  “One hundred and two.” I felt Cat readjusting the sheet around me.

  “Better.”

  “Why hasn’t she woken up?”

  Devlin blew out a breath. “I don’t know.”

  I kept my eyes closed, listening to them talk. I didn’t want them to know I was awake. They’d try to shove some broth down my throat, or stick me in the bathtub full of icy water. So I kept my eyes shut and drifted back to sleep.

  “He’s not going to wait much longer,” I heard a man say. “It’s been three days.”

  Three days? I’ve been out that long?

  I felt better. Weak and dizzy, but better than the last time I woke up.

  “Devlin?” I whispered.

  I heard shuffling, and then Devlin’s face appeared. “I’m here, Eva.”

  “Tell David I’m fine.”

  Devlin smiled. “He’s too stubborn to believe me. He wants to sneak into the village.”

  I shook my head slightly. “Tell him I said no. Tell him… hell’s bells, David, what are you thinking?”

  David always said hell’s bells whenever he was frustrated with me. If they told him I said it, he’d know I was okay.

  Devlin smiled. “You’re feeling better.”

  “I think so.”

  “Think you can drink something?” he asked.

  “I’ll try.”

  Cat placed her hand on my forehead. “You’re still warm, but not nearly as bad as you’ve been. Let me take your temperature.” She put the thermometer in my mouth and waited for what seemed like forever before she’d let me take it out. “One hundred and one. Much better. Let’s try some aspirin and see if you can keep it down.”

  Devlin gave me the pills, and placed a cup of warm broth to my mouth. I managed to take a few sips.

  I woke up sometime during the night. I could hear someone’s soft snores in the room.

  Slowly, I sat up. The room tilted to the side. I took in two large gulps of air and sat still until the room righted itself. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I pushed off to stand. My legs shook, and the room spun. Flashes of light danced in front of my eyes. I face planted on the floor with a loud thud.

  “Eva?” Devlin flipped the light on. “What are you doing?”

  “I need to get up.” I tried to push myself to a sitting position.

  “No, you need to stay in bed and rest.” He helped me up.

  “I need the restroom…”

  “Oh. Okay. Um… lean on me and see if you can walk.” When I couldn’t, Devlin swept me up, carrying me to the bathroom, limping on his bad leg. “Ah… hmm.” His cheeks pinked.

  I gave a small smile. “You had your hands all over me the other night and now you’re embarrassed? Besides, you’re in med school. You have to get used to this stuff.” I whispered, running my fingers through his hair. “It’s okay. I can do it.”

  “I’ll be right outside if you need… well,” he sighed, “I’ll be right outside.”

  I all but fell on the toilet. My legs were so weak, and my head was pounding so hard it felt like someone was trying to bust their way out. When I'd finished, I leaned on the sink to stand, catching sight of my reflection in the mirror, limp hair, purple rings around my eyes, and sunken cheeks. I looked horrible. I felt worse.

  “Devlin?”

  He walked into the room, picked me up, and carried me back to bed.

  “The room is spinning, right?”

  “Yeah.” He kissed my temple. “The room is spinning.”

  “Thought so.”

  Day Twenty-five

  The next morning, I woke to the smell of coffee brewing. I hated the taste of coffee, but loved the smell. It reminded me of my parents. The thought of them hurt. But sometimes, just sometimes, a good memory would sneak in. That day, the smell of coffee brought back a memory of my dad sitting in the breakfast nook in his ratty old robe, drinking coffee, and reading the newspaper on Saturday morning. It made me smile.

  “Hey, how do ya feel?” Cat asked. She placed her hand on my forehead. I wondered if she was a nurse. She was always checking my temperature. She was either a nurse or a mother, I decided.

  “Better.”

  “Your fever is finally gone,” she said with a smile. “Want to try and eat something?”

  I nodded. “I feel kinda hungry.”

  “That’s a good sign.”

  I drank a cup of broth and ate a piece of dry toast. I was still hungry.

  Cat took my plate and cup away. “That’s enough, Eva. You don’t want to eat too much too fast.”

  All this time they’ve been shoving food at me and now they won’t give me any.

  “Hey, gorgeous. How are you doing?” Devlin walked into the bedroom. He stopped and kissed me gently on the forehead.

  I smiled. “Great. Never better.”

  “You’re a terrible liar.”

  “How long have I been sick?”

  A frown touched his lips. “Four days.”

  I nodded. “We need to leave today.”

  “No we don’t.” Devlin shook his head. “You can barely sit up. There’s no way you’ll be able to make the hike back.”

  “Tomorrow, then. I’ll eat and build my strength up, and we’ll leave tomorrow morning. I just have to get to the first town. Then we can pick up a car.”

  Devlin cupped my cheek and pulled my face gently to his. “Eva, there’s too much snow on the ground for us to drive. You know that. We’ll be hiking for at least two days until we get through the worst of the snow. You’re not strong enough yet.”

  I shook my head. “I can do it. We have to leave.”

  Day Twenty-Six

  The sun was barely over the horizon when I got up and got dressed. I pulled on a thick pair of thermals and my jeans. They were loose on me. Five days without a decent meal, a crappy way to go on a diet.

  Standing at the door, Devlin and I said our goodbyes to Jake, Cat, Tim and Jewels.

  Hugging Cat was the last thing I remembered.

  I woke up later that afternoon.

  “What happened?”

  “You passed out.” Devlin’s eyes were red and had dark smudges underneath them. His mouth pressed into a thin line. “Eva, you don’t have the strength—”

  “We’re leaving tomorrow. First thing. I can do it, Devlin.”

  He shoved his fingers through his hair. “Geez, you’re stubborn.”

  I reached up and ran my finger lightly over the smudges around his eyes and down to his mouth, outlining his lips.

  “Eva…” he lowered his mouth to mine. His kiss was soft, tender, and made my stomach clench. I fisted my hands in his hair and pulled him to me, deepening the kiss. My heartbeat raced and goose bumps covered my skin. When he lifted his head he stared into my eyes. “What was that?” he murmured.

  “I… I just needed to feel you again.”

  “And what did you feel?”

  “You feel good. I love your taste.”

  He cupped his hand around my cheek; his thumb rubbed gently over my skin. “And is that a good thing?”

  “I’m not sure. I want it to be.”

  I’d kissed Devlin hoping I wouldn’t feel anything. But Devlin’s kiss tingled in all the right places, and left me wanting more. And it wasn’t just physical. After spending the last few days with him, I’d realized I liked him as a person. He was a man who made me laugh, opened his heart and told me painful memories, a
nd listened to me when I did the same, whose kisses made me forget everything—and everyone—around me except him.

  He grazed his lips across mine once more. “I think it’s a very good thing, Eva.”

  Day Twenty—Seven

  I stood next to the bed until the room stopped spinning. Then I slipped into my jeans and shirt. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I waited for the room to stop spinning a second time. I felt like I’d eaten a plate of bad tuna surprise from my old high school’s cafeteria, followed by a chocolate milkshake. Then someone shook me up and down, before twirling me around and around. The floor rocked back and forth like a boat on choppy water. I didn’t know how I was going to make it out of the compound and to the campsite, much less hike back to Rosewood the next day.

  Suck it up and deal with it. Get it done. Stop whining!

  I folded the clothes I’d borrowed from Cat, and placed them on the bed, before pulling on my parka and meeting Devlin at the door.

  “Are you sure you feel like going. One more day isn’t going—”

  “Devlin, I’m sure,” I said, trying to keep the quiver out of my voice.

  He nodded, opening the door. The crisp, cold air felt good washing over me, clearing my head, and fighting the nausea.

  It was a sunny day. No clouds covered the baby blue sky, or blocked the rays of the sun that reflected off the snow and ice like miniature diamonds.

  We said our goodbyes—again—and started to the main gate.

  “What’s going on?” Military swarmed the entrance and exit. I looked at the long line of residents waiting to exit the compound. Most were Gaming District residents trying to leave to hunt. They were all turned away.

  “I don’t know.” Devlin motioned to a man walking by, and asked him, “What’s going on?”

  “Village is closed. No one in or out.”

  “Why?”

  The man shrugged and walked by.

  Devlin and I continued to the guard post, where an MP stopped us. “No one is allowed out of the village. Turn back and return to your district,” the officer ordered.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “You don’t need a reason,” he barked. “Go back to your district!” He gave me a small shove with the butt of his gun.

  Devlin grabbed my shoulders, turned me around, and we walked back to the little house in the Gaming District, where Tim met us outside.

  “I just heard,” Tim said.

  “Does anyone know why?” Devlin asked, running his hand over his stubble covered jaw.

  “The rumor is there was a sighting of Infected outside the gates.”

  My heart slowed. I could hear it plodding along in my chest. “Devlin.” I grabbed his arm, searching his eyes. I could see it there. The same worry I’m sure he could see in mine.

  The others.

  Devlin put his arm around my waist and squeezed me against him, kissing the top of my head. “They’ll be fine. They know how to handle themselves,” he murmured against my hair. He kissed me again and returned his attention to Tim, but he didn’t let me go. So I soaked up the comfort he offered.

  “Tim? Do you have a pair of binoculars?” I asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Could I borrow them? Please?” I bit my bottom lip.

  “Sure. I’ll bring them right over.” He jogged to his house. He was back with the binoculars in less than five minutes.

  I went into the backyard and fiddled with the binocular’s settings until I was able to see through them clearly. Scanning the area in the general direction of the camp, I found the cabin first. It looked fine. But I didn’t see anyone around the camp, and my breath hitched in my throat.

  “I don’t see them.” I could hear the panic in my voice.

  I scanned the tree line and all around the camp. When I saw movement, I fiddled with the knobs on the binoculars again.

  There he is!

  David stood with his shoulder leaning against a tree talking to Roy, his thumbs hitched in his belt loops on his low riding jeans. He ran a hand through his hair. A lock fell over his forehead and my fingers itched to smooth it back in place. I could almost feel the silky strands.

  “I see him,” I whispered to no one in particular. “I see him and Roy. They look good.”

  “Okay, Eva. You’ve seen them. We need to go inside.” Devlin reached for the binoculars, but I jerked away from him.

  “Can I keep these for a day or so?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at Tim.

  “Sure. I won’t need them. With the village closed, I can’t hunt.”

  “Thank you.”

  For most of the day, I sat at the window and watched the others through the binoculars. I needed to know they were safe. I watched them wander around the camp, or walking by the windows in the cabin.

  Devlin and I made the trip to the guard post every day, and every day we were turned away. The village was on lockdown and no one knew exactly why, or when it would end.

  We spent the days holed up in the tiny house at the end of the street in the Gaming District. It wasn’t too bad, though. We were warm, Cat and Jewels made sure we had plenty to eat, and I entertained myself by watching the others at the campsite.

  “What are you doing out here?” Devlin sat next to me at the picnic table in our little backyard.

  I set the binoculars down, glancing up at Devlin with a smile. “Judy and I were just staring at each other through the binoculars.”

  He chuckled, picked them up, and looked through them. “Hmm, that doesn’t look like Judy to me.” he handed the binoculars to me.

  “David,” I breathed when I looked through them. Seconds ticked by as I stared into the eyepiece not speaking. I felt Devlin move beside me. “Where are you going?” I lowered the binoculars and looked at him.

  “I’m giving you two your privacy.” His jaw worked.

  “Wait, Devlin, don’t go.” I grabbed his hand.

  He looked down where my hand held his. His thumb moved softly over the back of my hand before he let go. “It’s cold. I’ll see you inside.” The back door creaked when he opened it and banged closed behind him, making me jump.

  When I put the binoculars back to my eyes I saw David looking through his, watching me. He lowered them, and questions played across his face. I wished I had the answers to give him. Shit, I wished I’d even knew the answers myself.

  The smell of steaming barley filled the small kitchen. Devlin and I sat at the table eating barley soup with hard rolls and goat cheese.

  “Why’d you end it with David?”

  I nearly choked on the bite of soup I was swallowing. “What? You know why. And, for the last damn time, he ended it with me.”

  “You still love him, right?”

  I made a noncommittal sound in the back of my throat, not looking at Devlin.

  “Okay, then you still care about him. More than a friend cares about another friend.” Devlin watched me. His green eyes seemed to cut right to my soul.

  “I don’t know—”

  He grabbed my chair and pulled it around to face him. I gasped, gripping his arms to keep my balance. “Are you gonna tell me you don’t have feelings for him?” His face was just inches from mine.

  “No. I… I do. I just.” I sighed and closed my eyes briefly. “I don’t know what they are.”

  Devlin grabbed my arms and pulled me up. My stomach clenched, and heart raced. He lowered his mouth and kissed me hard, almost rough. His lips were moist and soft, but firm, and my stomach filled with butterflies at the feel of them. He guided me backward until my back hit the wall. Reaching under my thighs, he lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He pressed me against the wall, holding me with one arm around my waist. Our lips never left each other’s. I moaned when his tongue pressed past my lips. He tasted sweet, different than David, but, oh, so good. When his mouth moved over my skin I forgot everything else. There was just me and him. That moment. Those feelings. Primal. Raw.

  His hands on my body. His lips on mine.
Everything and everyone faded into nothingness, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t let it.

  With a curse Devlin pulled his shirt over his head with one hand. When his T-shirt was next to us on the floor, he grabbed the hem of mine, pulling it over my head, and dropping it next to his.

  I skimmed my nails softly over the expanse of his chest and back. He felt warm, and a slight sheen of sweat covered him. His muscles flexed, and I curled my fingers into him.

  Sliding his arm under my bottom, he carried me to one of the small bedrooms. We bumped into the door, then knocked into the dresser. Perfume and lotion bottles toppled. Glass tinkled together as they rolled across a mirrored vanity tray.

  Gently, Devlin placed me on the bed. Goose bumps raced across my naked skin. He stretched out next to me, reaching for me, and pulling me over him. Straddling him, I gazed into his emerald eyes, running my fingers along his strong jaw, covered with a day’s worth of stubble.

  Devlin slipped his hand behind me, unclasping my bra. His finger followed the lacy edge around my side, over the swell of one breast, and into the hollow between. Curling his finger, he pulled my bra down gently; I caught it before it fell away. He raised his gaze to mine, arching a brow, and grinning his oh, so sexy, half grin.

  “Devlin…”

  Grabbing my hair, he pulled my mouth to his, swallowing my words. He rolled and pushed me to my back, leaning over me, his lips never leaving mine. He undid his fly, kicking off his jeans. Then, he undid mine, jerking them down my legs.

  My heart raced in my chest. It beat so fast and hard I was sure it would run out of beats—use up my share and freeze in my chest. And when I saw Devlin in nothing more than his boxer briefs, I felt it flutter and skip.

  My hands shook as I slid out of my bra, then reached for him. I wanted to touch every inch of him, and him me.

  His skin was soft, and I ran the tips of my fingers over him. He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and his eyes fluttered closed.

  My gaze followed my hands, mapping his body. Decadence covering muscles made of granite. The feel was conflicting and sensual at the same time, and heat built deep in my belly, fingering its way through my veins. I moved my hands along his shoulders, down his arms, up his sides, and over his chest. Hesitating when I reached the waistband of his briefs, the tips of my fingers dipping just below.