“Dang, Derek,” Will said. “I had no idea you were a bodybuilder,” he joked, trying to lighten the situation.
“I was a Marine not too long ago,” he said, focusing on wrapping Victoria’s thin thigh with his sleeves.
“That makes sense,” Will said. “No wonder you know what to do.”
“No one ever knows exactly what to do,” he replied. “We do the best with what we’ve got. What else have we found?”
“I found a couple protein bars and some caffeine pills,” Melissa said.
“Bring them. Let’s start walking before anyone sees us. We should go down into the wooded area for cover. They’re going to be looking for us on the road.”
“Should I push the car into the ditch so it’s better hidden?” Will asked.
“Not a bad idea,” Derek replied. “I’ll help you.”
The women watched as Derek and Will steered the car down into the ditch on the side of the road. Will looked pleased to cause a little destruction. He had been so responsible for the past few months.
“Ready, Victoria?” Will asked as he wiped his hands on his pants.
“Ready when you are,” she smiled.
She looked horrible. She had lost so much blood already. Her skin was nearly translucent and she could barely keep her eyelids open. Whenever she tried to walk, her knees buckled. She had an arm around Will’s shoulders for support, but he was practically carrying all her body weight.
The group made their way west, walking deep enough into the woods that they weren’t visible from the road. Derek and Melissa walked in front, guns in hand. Will and Victoria followed behind them, and Natalia took up the rear.
They only made it a few miles before Victoria began to bleed through her bandages again. This time, Melissa ripped the bottom of her shirt off to tie onto her leg. They kept walking, pausing after two to three miles to rest, rehydrate, and add to Victoria’s bandages. Progress was slow, but eventually, they managed to stay on their feet until the sun came up.
Eventually, Will found it was easier to carry Victoria and scooped her up in his arms. He managed this for about a mile, and then switched places with Derek. The older man was much stronger than Will.
“We’re going to have to find a hospital,” Derek said. “It’s important that we get Victoria fixed up.”
“Can you take the bullet out?” Will asked.
“I’ve seen some battle wounds, but I’m no medic. A lot of hospitals have backup generators we can use. Hopefully, there’s still some blood banked up that is safe to use. I’d say she could use a few bags.”
“That would be nice,” Victoria responded, as if she were being offered a frozen drink at the beach. She looked tired, but was doing her best to keep it together.
“We can’t go to a hospital,” Melissa argued. “That would be suicide.”
“Where else will we get the things we need for Victoria?” Derek asked.
“I don’t know. But just think about it—infected people went to hospitals before everything shut down. If those places aren’t filled with infected people, then they’re filled with other nasty stuff that’s sure to kill us. I hate to say it, but I think Victoria’s better off with our care. A hospital could kill us all.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” Will argued. “What if there are people working on a cure for the virus there?” he asked, looking back at Natalia.
“You never know,” Natalia responded quietly.
She missed Elaina and Alec. These new traveling companions weren’t much help to her in her time of need. She knew that if Elaina was with her, she would try to help her fight the virus inside of her, not give her sideways glances and five feet of distance.
“I say we try to find a hospital,” Will said. “Where there’s a hospital, there’s supplies. We’re going to need food and fresh water eventually. Besides, I know a really smart woman who can cure this virus. Who’s to say she’s not out there working on her cure now? If we find her, maybe she’ll cure Natalia.”
“She’s as good as dead,” Melissa said harshly. “Have you seen anyone survive the virus yet?”
“No,” Will said, “but—”
“It’s not possible,” Melissa interrupted. “Infected people kill healthy people at an alarming rate. The incubation period is so short, unless you find this miracle woman now, your girlfriend isn’t going to make it.”
“Hey,” Will said, raising his voice. Everyone turned to look at him. “We can’t talk like that. Natalia is going to get the care she needs. So is Victoria.”
Natalia coughed. Everyone turned their heads to look at her. Victoria stopped in her tracks.
“What?” Natalia asked, scowling at the others. They looked at her like she was dangerous.
They continued walking, but the tickle in her throat and chest was too much to hold in. She coughed again, loud barking coughs.
“Nope,” Melissa said, surging ahead. “Not today.”
Natalia hated the girl. She hadn’t cared about her or Will from the very start. Natalia shivered, anger warming her face.
She wanted to rest, but knew the others wanted to keep going. Her body hurt and she needed some sleep. She started to fall back, hoping enough distance would be between her and the group, and she could quietly go off on her own. She needed Elaina.
Will stopped to wait for Natalia. The others realized they were lagging behind and stopped to wait for them as well.
“Are you okay?” Will asked. “Feeling okay?”
“I’m fine,” Natalia sniffled. “Why don’t you go look after Victoria? You care about her more than you care about me.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, confused at her sudden change of character. “To be honest, I care about you more than I’ve admitted to you. I really like you, Natalia. I think I like you a lot more than you like me.”
She scoffed. “You have no idea how I feel. Nobody wants me here.”
“That’s not true,” Will cried. “I want you here.”
“She’s not wrong,” Melissa said under her breath. “At least she has a good grasp on reality.”
“You shut up,” Will bellowed, pointing a finger at Melissa. “You don’t know what we’ve been through. You’re not helping our situation.”
He turned to take Natalia’s hand. “We’re going to get you help. You’re going to be fine. Just stick with me.”
She shook her hand away from him. He reached out for her again. This time, she shoved him by the shoulders, hard.
“What’s gotten into you?” Will asked.
Natalia tried to answer, but she started coughing again. This time, tiny droplets of blood appeared in her palm when she removed her hand from in front of her mouth.
She stared at her hand, finally realizing what was happening. She was showing symptoms of some kind of illness. Suddenly, she was incredibly dizzy. She sat down on the ground and dropped her head to her knees.
“Natalia,” Will called to her, kneeling next to her. “Are you okay?”
She couldn’t hear him. A ringing sound drowned out all other noises. She felt herself slowly losing consciousness.
Natalia collapsed on the grass. A tiny river of blood trickled out the side of her mouth. The virus had rewritten her cellular data to the point where it no longer belonged to her. Her father’s virus had hijacked her body. Eighteen years ago, Bretton Vincent gave his only daughter life. His ego and selfish attitude was now taking it away.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Natalia was floating a few feet above her body. She tried to open her eyes, but her lids remained glued shut with exhaustion. It felt nice to be away from the earth for a little while.
Come back down, a voice said to her. You have more work to do.
“I can’t,” Natalia breathed.
Come back, it urged.
Natalia’s eyes popped open and she sat up straight. She felt completely better, as if her bout of illness had passed. The virus had failed to kill her. She would be fine.
Then, she saw Will’s face. There was something about his overly-expressive features that made him look like a cartoon. She had no rational reason to be angry with him, but seeing his face inches in front of hers really annoyed her.
Will froze, studying Natalia’s face. Her eyes were staring into his, unblinking. Her lips were puckered inward in a scowl. He had never seen her so upset before. It broke his heart that she misconstrued his helpfulness for caring about another woman more than her.
“You’re awake,” he said, the tone of surprise in his voice.
“Yeah?”
“It’s just that you passed out earlier,” Will said. “You were coughing up blood.”
“Oh?” she asked icily.
“You’re sick,” he said, wearily. “We need to find a hospital.”
“I feel fine.”
“You’re not fine,” he said, tears of frustration and concern welling up in his eyes. “We have to find help for you.”
Natalia got to her feet. She continued walking, like nothing had happened.
“Natalia, wait!” Will called. “Is there anything in the first aid kit we can give you? You’re not okay.”
Natalia shoved him again, sending him staggering backwards. “Leave me alone.”
“Talk to me,” Will pleaded, chasing after her again.
Natalia was growing more agitated by the minute. She wanted to either move forward or be left behind. The thought of having to deal with an annoying Will and three strangers was too much for her to handle.
“I just need some space,” she snarled. “Let me be alone for a little bit.”
She surged ahead, overtaking the others. Melissa, Derek, and Victoria gave her plenty of space. Melissa kept muttering something to Derek, and he kept waving her off. Will didn’t know what they were talking about, but he knew he wouldn’t like it.
Suddenly, Natalia started running. She sprinted forward, allowing the tree branches and brambles to scratch up her arms and face. Will called after her, but it was as if she didn’t hear him.
Finally, her foot got caught on a tree root, tripping her up. She flew forward, landing on her face. She skidded a few feet before coming to a stop.
Will ran after her as she lay motionless on the forest floor. He looked at her back, but it didn’t even seem like she was breathing.
“Hey,” Will shouted, rolling her over. “What is going on with you?”
Her eyes popped open, the whites had turned red and her pupils were dilated. Natalia lunged at Will, springing up from her position on the ground to tackle him to the ground.
He scrambled up to his feet and she followed circling around him like a predator circles its prey.
“Stop this,” Will begged. “I’m trying to help you. I love you, Natalia. I want you to be safe.”
She charged at him, feeling a rage unlike anything she had felt before. She wanted him dead. There was no rhyme or reason for her anger toward him. She had just snapped.
Knocking him over, she pinned him to the ground. He squirmed to get up, but he had hit his head in the process and was feeling disoriented. Her hands pressed on his windpipe, making it hard to get enough oxygen in his system to fight her off.
She opened her mouth and lowered her head to the side of his neck, ready to sink her teeth into him. He closed his eyes, knowing that this would be the last moment he had his health.
Throughout the epidemic, his cautious ways regarding germs had gotten him far. He avoided contact with anyone or anything that looked remotely dangerous or dirty. He’d sealed himself off from the world and lived in his own sterilized home as his city burned around him.
He had been cautious until he met Natalia. Then, he had reason to go outside of his comfort zone. He would throw himself in front of a group of infected people if that meant she would be safe. But he had failed her. He stood by as her own father injected her with the most dangerous substance known to humans.
He had abandoned his instincts to be with a girl who reminded him that there was still beauty and fun in their dark, new world. She was a shining light in an otherwise dim place.
He had watched his parents destroy each other, the virus acting as a catalyst for an inevitable implosion of their marriage. He had cleaned their blood from their family home and hid from attackers. He swore to himself that he would never let anyone he cared about fall victim to the virus again.
So it only seemed fitting that Natalia Vincent was going to be the death of him.
He closed his eyes, feeling the irony of the moment—she was finally about to press her lips to his neck, something he had only dreamed of.
A gunshot rang out, deafening Will for a moment. Something warm was pooling around his head.
His ears rang and he could hardly move. His body felt weighed down and he struggled to locate the source of the noise.
Natalia shuddered. Will’s eyes focused. That was when he realized that she was dead.
He rolled her limp body off him and jumped to his feet. She had felt so heavy when she was attacking him, but in death she was so tiny. He took a few steps away from her, covered his head in his hands, and squatted down.
“Will,” Victoria said, ready to comfort him.
“No,” his voice cracked. “Don’t talk to me.”
He took a few ragged breaths, trying to focus on anything other than Natalia’s broken body lying a few feet away from him.
He was growing accustomed to death, but nothing could fully prepare him for the death of a friend. Each death was as horrible and shocking as the last. This was his reality, though. He’d watch loved ones and strangers die in tragic ways until it was his turn. His close relationship with the human lifecycle didn’t make things easier, though.
Will uncovered his face and turned around. Derek was still holding a crying Victoria. Melissa was frozen in place, her gun still aimed at Natalia.
“Why did you do that?” he croaked. “I was trying to calm her down.”
“She was infected,” Melissa argued, showing little remorse for her actions. “She was going to kill you. I did you a favor—she was going to die anyway. Now, you can live.”
“For what?” he whispered, looking back at the ground in front of him. He refused to look back at Natalia. The body on the forest floor wasn’t the fun, bubbly girl he knew. He couldn’t bear to see the shell of the girl he had fallen in love with.
“Derek would have done the same thing,” Melissa reasoned.
Derek shrugged. “I wouldn’t have let her attack us, that’s for sure. It’s terribly sad about what happened to your friend. It wasn’t her fault. I know she wasn’t in her right mind when she attacked you. There was nothing anyone could do.”
Will pursed his lips and nodded. Elaina could have done something, but Elaina was nowhere to be found. As far as he knew, she was dead, too.
“I really am sorry, Will,” Melissa said, lowering her voice. “I wish I hadn’t had to do it, but everyone knows that she was too far gone.”
Will didn’t respond. He knew deep down that they were right, but he still held onto a tiny glimmer of hope that she could have been saved. He had seen some crazy things in the course of the virus—he knew that nothing was impossible.
“We have to keep going,” Derek said. “We’ve been standing in one place for too long. Plus, that gunshot probably attracted some attention.”
“Go ahead,” Will said morosely. “I’m going to stay with Natalia.”
“She’s dead, Will,” Melissa said, gently, as if she were breaking the news to him.
“I know she’d dead,” he roared. “Are we just going to leave her here for the scavengers to rip her to shreds?”
“I don’t think there’s much else for us to do,” Derek said. “We have to move forward.”
“He’s right,” Melissa added. “We’re going to get caught if we don’t get out of here. I know it’s hard to leave her behind, but at least you’ll still have your good memories of her.”
“Shut u
p,” Will snapped. He started walking forward, not stopping to look back at Natalia.
“I’m just trying to help,” Melissa whined.
“Oh, you’ve helped enough,” Will said, storming away.
The others followed him, but Melissa stalled for a second. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the life she’d claimed. She had shot at armed guards and infected people, but there was something more haunting about seeing the body of a girl, not unlike her, bleeding on the ground.
Natalia Vincent had lived an eventful life, having survived multiple attacks and kidnappings. In eighteen years, she had become a responsible young woman, escaped captivity on more than one account, and protected those she loved from the man who helped raise her. By helping a fugitive seek shelter from wrongful conviction, she did more good than she was ever given credit for.
But, her bravery and determination wasn’t enough. She died like so many others did—sick and confused, with no hope of survival.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“I hate to ask, but do you two have any input for our next destination?” Alec wondered, looking at Elaina and Thomas. Thomas had moved into the backseat of his own truck, and was stretched all the way out.
“I have no family and no one to see,” Thomas replied. “I just want to be somewhere safe. I’ve thought a lot about it, and I think I’d like to start a small community in the woods somewhere. I could live off the land, so I wouldn’t have to keep going back into town to steal stuff to survive. I think I could wait out the virus like that.”
“Okay,” Alec said, acknowledging Thomas’s idea. He was trying to be diplomatic, but he knew that Elaina would have other ideas. “What do you think, Elaina?” he fished.
She looked at him and shook her head.
“Go on,” Thomas said.
“I want to go to a hospital.”
“No,” Thomas objected. “That’s where sick people go.”
“When you agreed to escape with us, you agreed to it based on the fact that I needed to get out and work on my cure,” Elaina replied. “Am I wrong?”
The Morgan Strain Series (Book 2): Point of Proximity Page 17