by Lake, D. K.
"That's exactly what I thought when Nick showed me where I was going to be staying."
"How did you end up here?"
"I was in Washington, D.C. when they were doing a sweep-"
"A what?"
"A sweep. It's where they go along the streets and collect whomever they find."
"You were kidnapped?"
"Yuuup. I was just on my way back to the hospital where I was staying. I was just making a run to collect some supplies, and I walked straight into them."
"So they just pick people off the streets and transport them to testing facilities? Wait a minute...had you been bitten before they lifted you? I mean, did they know you were infected? Wh-how did they know you were infected?"
"They didn't. That happened after."
"After?"
"They like healthy test subjects."
I felt a cold chill spreading up my spine. The government was stealing people to test on them. I stayed quiet and waited for her to continue.
"I was taken to this place away from the city and kept in a cage with a group of others, there were other cages, all of us were at different stages."
"I'm sorry, I'm not following, I thought you weren't infected when they took you?"
"I wasn't. When I arrived they locked me up for three days, hardly any food and water, we had to use a bucket, and then on the third day they dragged us out into the courtyard and set one of them on us. We couldn't fight back because they had us chained up. Once we were bitten they pulled them off, some of us didn't make it, some were too badly...bitten. I thankfully only got bitten on my arm."
She held out her arm to show me her bite mark that had left behind a scar.
"That's terrible."
"I was kept there for another day and then I was blindfolded and tossed into a moving vehicle, then I was put on a small plane with a few others, and they brought me here. I don't remember much after that. I was brought down here and then I think Nick gave me the vaccine and then it all goes blank until I woke up properly."
"Does Nick know about all this?"
"He does now, he didn't know before. He thought people were already infected when they were collected. He didn't know they had been infecting people on purpose for him and others like him to experiment on."
"That's disgusting, there's hardly any humans left as it is and they're infecting the leftovers, killing us off like we're animals." I said angrily, waving my arms in the air.
"Washington, D.C. is still up and running in certain parts, they had the city on lockdown, and there are patrols all over the place. I wouldn't call it safe, but you could walk down the street without getting killed, but most people kept themselves shut inside."
"Did you have any family?"
"My parents died when I was four in a boating accident, and I only had my brother and he caught the virus early on. It was just me left, but I made friends with a few of the people at the hospital and they were all friendly to me. When I got picked up I was just out on a run collecting some new magazines and books for the patients."
"How old are you?" I asked.
"Sixteen. So, uh, Nick said you're going out with his brother." she said suddenly, changing the subject with a silly grin on her face.
"I don't know if I'd call it going out? It's not like we go out on dates or anything."
"How did you end up with him?"
"We sort of ran into each other."
"Was it love at first sight?"
"No." I laughed. "I wanted to ditch him but he wouldn't leave me alone so I got stuck with him."
"What's it like out there? I haven't been outside of Washington so I have no idea what's happening everywhere else."
"Uhh...well, it's desolate...really lonely. There aren't many survivors. I mean, we did find other survivor groups, some were friendly and some were dangerous. Nowhere is really safe, you have to keep moving all the time, searching for food, clean clothes, fresh water, and you're constantly looking over your shoulder, and you can't trust anyone. I was always tired, my legs ached every day, my feet were sore, my hair was gross, I probably smelled rather gross too because I was always walking or running, and was always sweaty. And whenever you get close to anyone or make new friends they normally end up dead."
"But you and Len made it, right?"
"It's Lane, and barely."
"How did you get infected?"
The memory of Jasper came flooding back to me, and then Stacey flashed through my mind. If I could go back in time I would not have gotten so drunk that night and gone upstairs to have sex with Lane. I would have stayed sober and babysat everyone else, and made damn sure nobody went outside. That night we lost Jasper, I was bitten, and it set everything in motion which led up to Luke getting killed, Stacey getting bitten, and Drew having to kill her.
I shook my head and closed my eyes, willing those last memories I had of Stacey in the woods to go away. I wasn't mad or upset that Drew had killed her. If anything I was silently grateful he had done it. I didn't think I would have been able to deal with Stacey being infected as well as myself, and I didn't think we would have made it across the desert with Stacey in tow. She was a slow runner when it mattered, and I still think about Anton and his wolves chasing us.
"A terrible night out." I finally answered her. "And I don't want to talk about it."
As I scanned the bedroom I spotted the box of chocolates that I had swiped from the supply room with Ross, and I also saw my bag on the floor and a few of my clothing items over the arm of a chair.
"That's mine." I pointed at the bag and walked over to it and picked it up.
"Oh right, yeah, I know. I uh...put your stuff in here to make it feel more homely, and I may have borrowed a few things. Nick didn't have anything else for me to wear apart from a hospital nightgown, and this dress that I had to scrub bloodstains out of, so I borrowed a few of your things. Good thing we're the same size. Well, I'm a little taller but it's ok." She flashed me her underwear which was actually the underwear that Dawn had given me back at the shopping mall, and she was wearing the jelly shoes too.
I let it go, I wasn't in the mood to fight over knickers. I searched the pockets of my bag and found the one thing I was looking for.
I ran my thumb along Drew's pocket knife and flipped it open. He told me he would never leave without it, that he would always come back to me if I had this. I pushed Drew out of my mind and shut the pocket knife and slipped it into my pocket.
"You won't need that in here, all the zombies are securely locked up in the containment rooms."
"It's not for the zombies." I muttered.
"Oh, and I think this is yours." Robin said, lifting a necklace off of the closet door handle. "It's really pretty." she added.
It was the moon necklace that Drew had given to me. Just looking at it reminded me of him and how he didn't say goodbye! It glistened as it caught the light and the inside of the moon pendant seemed to move, the blacks and greens swirling together.
"I didn't know if it was sentimental or anything so I haven't worn it, but ya know if you don't want it?" she said, looking at my annoyed face.
I quickly took it from her before she got any ideas.
"Thanks." I said, quickly fastening the thing around my neck. I didn't even know why I wanted to wear it....because it reminded me of Drew, and this and the pocket knife was all I had left to remember him.
"Girls!" Nick called and we both wandered back into the living room where there was a four seater table and chairs.
Nick set a tray down on the table and I was so interested in what was on the tray that I overlooked the other figure standing in the room. My heart jumped into my mouth when I finally noticed him in the kitchen area, pouring himself a drink.
"Ross?" I smiled.
He put the juice back in the fridge and walked over to the island counter that divided the room from the kitchen area.
"Hi, Alex. Good to see you upright."
"Err...thanks, I think."
Ros
s walked over to the table and pulled out a chair, running a hand through his wavy blond hair. He reminded me of Luke so much, another friend I had lost along the way.
I didn't know Ross that well, I had only met him once before, and he gave me a spin on a trolley. He was the one that smuggled me into this place.
"You don't feel sick, do you?" he asked, plonking himself down in the chair and slurping his drink.
Robin giggled and pulled out the chair next to him.
Was I missing something?
"I don't think so." I replied.
"Good, I've had enough of your vomit to last me a lifetime. You're like an endless tap once it starts."
Huh? Did I throw up on this guy? I couldn't remember.
"Ok, no vomit talk at the table." Nick ordered as I pulled out a chair and sat down with the rest of them.
"You have food here, actual food?" I asked, looking at the cheese macaroni piled up on one of the plates.
"No...just Nick and all the other important people." Ross snorted, ripping open a packet of sealed sandwiches. I looked at Nick for an answer.
"I have three meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and a cooked meal in the evening."
"What time is it?" I asked, looking around for a clock. I had no idea whether it was day or night as there were no real windows.
"6.15 pm." Nick answered.
I nodded and watched as Nick divided the macaroni cheese onto two plates and slid one in front of me and the other one in front of Robin.
Robin pulled an elastic hair band off her wrist and tied her long hair up into a high ponytail, there was so much of it.
"Why aren't you having any? This is yours, right?" I asked Nick.
"Yes, it is, but Miriam put Robin on rations and only lets her have sandwiches and water, so I let her have my food to keep her strength up while she recovers. The same goes for you, you need to eat proper food while you're recovering. You and Robin can share, and Ross usually dollops a few extra spoonfuls onto the plate anyway. I'm fine with sandwiches."
I looked at the plate of steaming hot food in front of me, not really believing what I was seeing. I picked up the fork and prodded some of the macaroni and popped it into my mouth. It even tasted good, cheesy and creamy. Robin was getting stuck into her plate and Nick and Ross were already eating their sandwiches.
"Hey, Ross?" I said.
"Yeah?" he replied with his mouth full.
"Have you seen Lane back at the shopping mall? Is he okay?"
"Uh-huh." He picked up his drink and washed his food down.
"Does he know what's happening with me, have you been keeping him informed?"
He must be worried about me.
Ross nodded. "Yeah, he pounces on me as soon as I arrive at that place. Last time I saw him I told him that you were been treated and the vaccine looked to be working, but you were still in a coma."
"So he knows I'm still alive."
"Yeah, I won't be seeing him for another few days, but I'll let him know you're awake."
"Can I give you a message to pass onto him, like a letter or something."
Ross shrugged. "I don't see why not. Maybe you can write a letter to the other one, he keeps hounding me as well, demanding I break him in so he can see you."
"Poor Josh, he must be so worried about me as well. He's a little overprotective of me." I smiled.
"No, not that one. The other one." Ross mumbled, stuffing some flat cheese into his mouth. The other one?
I didn't get to ask Ross whom he was talking about because Nick turned to me with a serious look on his face.
"So, Alex, how has my brother been? I hear you've been looking after him, but how's he coping?"
"Um, you know, surviving. He's okay, I guess. We took care of each other."
"It must be getting worse out there." Nick said.
"Yeah, it's not great."
I kinda envied Nick, having been locked away down here, not having to worry about where his next meal was coming from, and he got to get a good night's sleep every night.
"What's for dessert?" Robin asked as she licked her plate clean, glancing over the counter where there was another tray with serving dishes.
I was still on my dinner.
"Chocolate pud." Ross replied.
"Yummy."
After dinner, Nick wanted to run some tests. I didn't like the idea of having needles stuck into me but I also didn't want to suddenly turn back into a deadbie. I knew the tests were important and I was still Nick's science experiment and he was still gathering research.
"So how long until I can break out of here?" I asked, my butt going numb from the cold metal table I was sitting on.
"Anywhere important you want to rush off to?" Nick asked.
"Are there any sandy beaches around here?" I joked.
"No, no beaches, sorry. And as for getting out of here, I still need to run tests, make sure the vaccine does its job and you don't start transitioning."
"What?!"
"At the moment, there aren't any traces of the virus in your system, and I'm hoping it will stay that way. That's what I do, I test vaccines and see how they work, they don't normally work, but this is looking good so far."
"Gee thanks, I feel so comforted right now."
"I've never treated anyone this far into the infection before."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"It's an interesting thing."
"So if someone held a gun to your head and demanded you tell them what day I can get out of here on you'd say...?"
"Soon."
"Soon? One week, two? We are talking weeks, right? This isn't like, a year thing?"
"No, it shouldn't take that long." Shouldn't?
Nick came back over with another needle, it was the third one already, and he had already taken a blood sample and pee sample.
Nick ripped open the packet and removed the needle and I looked at the wall to distract myself. I wasn't a fan of needles.
My eyes zoned in on one of the early posters that were distributed and plastered all over the place.
The poster had a cartoon drawing of a crazy-looking person chasing a frightened, busty blond woman. It reminded me of some silly comic book. I always wanted to know who had come up with the idea for the poster. Probably a guy. The cartoon looked like something a guy would have drawn.
There was a list down the side...
Don't share cutlery and utensils.
Wash your hands regularly.
Stay indoors.
Only go outside if it is an emergency or for supplies.
Supplies? Most stores had been desecrated within a few weeks, the first few months were crazy and intense, and scary. I remember being locked in our house all day, peeking out of the curtains every two minutes.
Keep your doors locked and curtains shut.
Don't let strangers into your home.
Don't pet stray dogs.
This was when they thought dogs could be carriers, but that was a load of crap.
If you are bitten or scratched, please report to your nearest hospital.
If you think someone is infected or showing symptoms, please ring the number below.
Don't get too close to the contaminated.
And don't get bitten... which is pretty fucking obvious.
"On the count of three...one, two-"
"Oww! That one hurt!" I turned my head to see the needle. "OMG, that's the Godzilla of needles."
"Sorry, but you only have to have this four times a day."
"What?!" I shrieked, covering my arm where he had stabbed the monster needle in.
"Just kidding." Nick laughed and pressed some gauze to my arm where I was bleeding, then he cleaned away the needles.
"Ha ha, a right comedian, just like your brother."
"Right, I'm all done." Nick pulled off his disposable gloves and threw them in the trash and then washed his hands.
I saw Robin peeking through the tiny window again, waiting for us to finish.
"
Can I come in now?" Robin called.
"Yes." Nick replied and she let herself in.
I yawned loudly, feeling tired again.
"What do you guys do around here in the evenings?" I asked.
"Oh, it's my turn to choose tonight." Robin said excitedly.
"Choose what?" I asked.
"Who's up for a game of Twister?" Robin asked.
"I think Alex should pick, seeing as it's her first night awake." Nick said.
"Actually, as much as I'd love to stay up, I'm really feeling tired now."
Nick nodded and helped me off the table.
"I think Alex needs her rest, we'll have plenty of other nights to play with her."
I felt like a new shiny toy.
"But-"
"No, buts, Robin. Alex can join us tomorrow."
"What if she falls back asleep and doesn't wake up again?"
I started laughing then suddenly stopped.
"Wait, that won't happen will it?" I asked, concerned.
"No, it shouldn't."
"That doesn't sound very convincing." I mumbled as Nick led me out of the room.
"Come on, I'll tuck you in. You can sleep on the right side. I like to be close to the fake window." Robin said, taking my arm and pulling me away before I could protest.
"Actually, the couch will be fine." I told her.
"Ross sleeps on the couch most nights, he started sleeping down here a few weeks ago." she said.
"Right side of the bed it is then." I grumbled.
"You don't snore, do you?" Robin asked, letting me back into the apartment.
"Not that I know of."
"Oh, good. I've heard I snore like a freight train." She smiled and skipped into the bedroom.
"Well, that's just fantastic." I grumbled.
"What's fantastic?" Ross asked from where he was sitting on the couch playing on the games console.
"Nothing." I stomped into the bedroom and found Robin sitting cross-legged on the bed with a book in her hand.
"I thought I could read to you."
"You do realize I'm not three."
"I know, but my brother used to read to me all the time and it used to help me to drift off."
"Fine. What are you going to read?"
"It's called...How to turn Vegan in ten easy steps."
"What?"
"Just kidding. It's some graphic novel."