Landen took the radio out of his pack and tried it again. If they were close, maybe the frequency would be stronger. He almost felt like they were wasting their time.
“Hello? Can you hear me?” he said in a loud tone.
Static sounded in and out of the radio.
“Hello? If you can hear me, I’m trapped underground!”
Heavy breathing could be heard with sounds of the infected in the background.
“They’re trying to get in!”
It was the voice of an exhausted and terrified, Doctor Maxwell. The group carefully made their way closer to the fallen mine. Decomposing bodies lay on the ground around them as they walked through. They could tell they had been infected for a while. It was a graveyard for the lost world to say the least, a place they would never see again except in memories flashing back from the trauma of an entire species nearly gone extinct and a new, much scarier mutated being arising from the ashes. It was a war of the world, man vs monster, and monster was winning.
***
Lifting his gun in the air, Landen pointed and fired off two shots killing two of the infected. The sound of the gun attracted unwanted attention of more infected lurking nearby. They turned around in an instant, glaring emotionless at the group as they dragged their own bodies and trudged their way across the grass. Kris and Sydney ran toward the infected, stabbing two of them while Landen took the last one out with another shot. Getting past the infected was the easy part. There was a large amount of debris covering the entrance to that mine that needed all the physical power that they had to remove it.
Landen and Matt began to lift pieces of debris in hopes of finding a way inside the shelter. The others followed, removing heavy chunk by heavy chunk. Sydney stood by on watch, they needed someone to take care of any infected that may travel their way. The midday sun beamed through the trees, it was getting hotter out and the trees were not providing shade any longer. Sweat poured down their brows as they tried to stay as hydrated as possible with what water they had left. Every drop of water had to be preserved, they had to make it last.
“We’ve hit something.”
Matt removed one last chunk of broken rock. Underneath were fallen planks that blocked the broken door. The two men lifted the planks off the dirt covered door and got ready to start prying it open. To their surprise the door was severely damaged but not jammed or locked. They opened the doors slowly, not knowing who or what to expect behind them.
Sunlight washed in as the men lifted the doors of the shelter. It had been months since Doctor Maxwell had seen the light of day or any human life for that matter. He backed away, squinting his eyes, as Landen cautiously climbed down the steps and entered the shelter first.
“Doctor Maxwell?” he asked.
He reached his hand out to shake as a friendly gesture.
Doctor Maxwell had developed a form of social anxiety; he had spoken to nobody but himself for months. He reached out and took his hand.
He smiled a weak smile.
“Thank you.” he said.
That shelter was nothing like anybody had expected. It was a small, dark and damp place with only one flickering light bulb hanging from a chain attached to the mold ridden ceiling. There were no windows and no other exits except the broken door they had come through. It smelled in there, despite the doctors attempt to dispose of the deceased infected. There was a small kitchenette in one corner, a small fridge with a broken door and cupboards bare. There was running water although one would have to tap on the pipes to get it to run clear. Electricity was limited to a small generator; it was almost out of energy. If they hadn’t shown up when they did, Doctor Maxwell wouldn’t have had much longer to live.
The group was exhausted from their long trip; they needed to fuel up with rations and get as much rest as they could before heading back to the camp. This place would have to do for the night. It wasn’t much but it was better than sleeping outside. Kris got her things out of her bag, hands shaking although she wasn’t cold or nervous.
“Are you alright, Sis?” asked Sydney.
“Yeah, I’m just...I’m just tired.” Her head felt foggy.
Kris set up her temporary bed and settled in for the night while Sydney joined the men around an old fold up card table with Doctor Maxwell. They had questions they had a feeling he could finally answer.
“When I heard your voice over the radio, I wasn’t sure if I had gone mad.” Doctor Maxwell nervously laughed and looked over at Landen with a thankful expression.
He explained his situation, telling a dark tale. He was a scientist on a Government run medical team that knew about the infection outbreak before it even happened. An unexplainable chemical shift in the environment creating microscopic viral super infection that was released into the atmosphere somehow.
His team had been studying it for months, trying to figure out why and what was happening to their species, to their planet. This wasn’t just a virus; an evil was uncovered. That’s the only way he could explain what they now called the infected.
His team’s mission was to work day and night trying to find a way to stop it. When their primary lab became overrun as did the rest of the city, they evacuated. They lost members of their team and the remaining, including Doctor Maxwell, held up in the shelter they now stood in. In their final days, infected broke through the front entrance, Doctor Maxwell was cornered as he tried to gather as much of his work as he could; they had worked so hard for so long to let it all go.
His colleagues managed to escape and throw an explosive that was supposed to finish off the infected and save him. The explosion caused a land slide which was the fallen debris that the group had uncovered to find him. Those documents burned in the fire that day. All that was left was a thumb drive and a CB radio.
“They just left you to die?” questioned Alex.
“I’d like to assume they thought I was infected.” Doctor Maxwell corrected him.
“Kris is infected.” Alex blurted out.
He didn’t mean to sound so blunt but keeping a secret that could jeopardize the entire group had been eating him up inside.
“What do you mean ‘Kris is infected’?” mocked Matt.
Alex stood up and looked him directly in the eye, shaking with anger.
“She was scratched at the river; she’s slowly changing into one of them.” He said with spit forming at the corners of his mouth.
“Before anybody does anything rash, are you sure that’s what happened?” asked Landen.
“I’m positive.” Alex said.
Doctor Maxwell sat in an old stained office chair. He straightened his dirty white shirt and cleared his throat.
“If she was scratched, the infection will indeed gradually take over starting with her body and ending with her mind. This could take only a few hours or maybe a day at best.” He said with uncertainty.
Sydney could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and her face turning a bright shade of red; the color it always turned when she was upset. Landen put his arm around her shoulders to try to comfort her. He was at a loss for words. Why hadn’t Kris just said something?
“How long...does she have?” she asked.
Doctor Maxwell had a look of absolute sympathy as he took Sydney’s hands in his.
“I’m not sure, Love. We will have to watch her and take precautions.”
Kris had been scratched at the river and her fate had already been determined; she would eventually fully transition and it was already happening fast. They could hear her shallow breathing, it did not sound human. The transition was happening fast.
As the group chatted quietly, Kris bolted out of her sleep and sat into an upright position. She felt as if the air had been sucked out of her body. She felt her temperature rise and sweat begin to form on the back of her neck. She began coughing uncontrollably, almost as if someone was choking her. She coughed violently causing her to vomit on the floor next to her bed. Sydney rushed over with a wet cloth and placed it on her
forehead. She placed her hand on her head and gently helped her lay back down. In a soothing voice she reminded her to relax and she floated back into sleep. A tear rolled down Sydney’s face. This was not happening to her little sister.
***
Doctor Maxwell stood up and faced Landen and Sydney. There was nothing he could do for Kris. They all knew there was only one option for someone who had become infected, inescapable death. The question was, how could they do this and who was going to be the one to pull the trigger?
Who would want to volunteer to kill one of their own? This was not the kind of decision that could be made lightly. Killing one of their own would mean breaking the group’s code. She lied to everyone but she did not deserve to die. Landen knew it was not worth putting the entire campsite at risk but he loved Kris like a sister; Sydney would never forgive him. He couldn’t make this decision, not at that moment. He needed to talk to Kris.
“Thank you Doctor.”
Landen and the others settled in for the night, they had another long journey ahead of them when the morning broke.
Chapter 6
Kris opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling of the mine. She almost forgot where she was while she slept. She threw her blankets to one side of the bed and began to get dressed. From the light shining through the cracks in the temporary door they had placed up, she could see it was mid-morning already. Everybody else had already woken up and started getting ready to go. Why would they let her sleep?
She stared at her own reflection in a small broken mirror and noticed how her eyes looked more sunken in that morning, how pale her skin had become. She refused to believe what was happening to her. She was just sick because she was malnourished; she was exhausted like everybody else.
Anyone in their right mind would have known this; it had been months since anybody ate anything of a well-balanced meal or a decent night of sleep.
The group prepared to head back on their journey home, with Doctor Maxwell in company. Alex placed his items back in his bag. He kept staring at Kris with wicked eyes. He knew she was lying to everybody. He knew she was a problem and something had to be done about her, even if it meant doing it himself. He loaded a pistol he stole from Landen’s duffel bag while everyone slept the night before and stuffed it underneath his shirt in the back of his jeans. If Landen didn’t want to make a solid decision about Kris, he would.
As the group headed on their way out of the shelter, Landen stopped and waited for Kris to pass by him. He reached out and grabbed her arm.
“We all know what you’ve been hiding, Kris.” he said to her. She lowered her head, when she looked up at Landen her eyes were red, filled with tears.
“Alex.” She whispered.
“You should have just come to me or Syd, any of us.”
“I’m sorry Landen.” She said in a quiet voice.
Landen could see she was sick, it was all true. She had the same deathly look that he saw in others he had witnessed turn before.
“Don’t worry; I know what I have to do. I brought this on myself and it is what it is.”
She pulled away from his grasp, adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and headed outside. Landen felt relief and remorse; it was all out in the open but he was losing one of his people.
***
As Kris walked with her head down she noticed her bootlace untied and knelt down to tie it back up. She left in such a rush; she just wanted to get out of there.
“Go ahead, apparently I don’t know how to dress myself!” she laughed as the others went on ahead.
She tucked her pants into her socks and stood up to join the group. She could see everybody in the distance; they weren’t too far up ahead but she could feel a presence behind her. Thinking it was an infected, she reached for her knife. As she turned around, Alex was standing right behind her. She could feel adrenaline from panic and fear rushing through her entire body. She dropped her knife on the ground and put her hands out to her sides.
As she stood facing the silver barrel of that pistol, something came over her, she wasn’t afraid anymore. The adrenaline rush lowered and her breathing calmed. She knew he was only trying to help.
“I’m so sorry.” Alex sobbed as he stood in front of her.
He lifted his shaky arm and pointed a gun directly at her face.
“I know.” she whispered.
A tear rolled down her cold skin as she closed her eyes, it was her time.
“Alex! NO!” Sydney yelled as she pulled out her own gun, pointed at him.
The sound of a gun went off; Alex fell to the ground lifeless. Matt stood in the distance with his gun drawn, still smoking from the deadly shot. Landen and the rest of the group stood by staring in disbelief. They had heard the commotion but they were too late to stop it. It all happened so fast, Kris fell to her knees and began to cry. Matt ran up to her, knelt down and hugged her trembling body. Sydney stood shaking, trying to put her gun back in its holster. She couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Landen grabbed Sydney by the shoulders; she had never seen that look on his face before. Sydney felt frightened.
“What the hell just happened?” he said, releasing his grasp on her. He wasn’t sure if she or Matt had just shot Alex.
“She didn’t do anything, I pulled the trigger.”
Matt stepped over Alex’s body as he walked up to Landen.
Matt felt what he did was justified; Kris was not going to have her fate handed to her. She was not going to die at the hands of someone like Alex; it wasn’t his place to make that decision.
“He could have been stopped.”
Landen was shaking with rage. He was upset at the entire situation but Alex wasn’t there anymore to unleash his anger on.
“He stole your gun! He was going to shoot her!” spit flew from Matt’s mouth as he argued his case.
“She was already done.” Landen took a deep breath, he felt heartless saying that but it was the truth.
“I can’t believe I’m listening to this and from our great leader!” Matt yelled with sarcasm in his voice.
“I’m done with you. We are done with you.”
Landen stared Matt directly in the eye without as much as a blink. Matt stared back at him for a moment and put his rifle in the holster behind his back.
“That’s the way it has to be then” He said in a calm voice.
“That’s the way it has to be.” Landen repeated in a rough tone.
Kris and Sydney stood beside Doctor Maxwell; they couldn’t wrap their heads around what had just happened. Kris couldn’t believe Matt would want to save her life, knowing her life was already over. His heart was in the wrong place. If only he had known that she was planning on doing it herself; Alex was trying to save everyone but ended up sacrificing himself.
Landen turned to Kris.
“You know what you have to do.” he said.
“I know what I have to do.” she repeated.
She felt ashamed for letting her guard down back at the bridge, the whole situation was all her fault and she was the only one who could do what she had to do before it was too late.
“Let’s stop wasting time.” Landen walked over and stood beside Alex’s body silently for a moment. There was no way to bring him back to the campsite, this was his resting place and this was their last goodbye.
***
As the group headed back on their path, not one said a word to another. Everybody seemed to be engulfed in their own minds, thinking and rethinking about what had just happened. This whole trip had turned out to be one big mess; Landen hoped that Doctor Maxwell wasn’t just taking him and his men for a ride. This wouldn’t have been the first time that the group had found someone claiming to be someone they were not, claiming to know things they did not just to gain protection. Landen planned on keeping a close eye on this man, no matter how sincere he seemed.
Landen cleared his throat; it had been hours since he had finished the last bit of water in his container, th
is trip had used up more resources than they thought.
“How much do you know about all of this?” he said, gesturing his hands in the air as if to say it was everywhere around them. He looked at Doctor Maxwell who was walking close by looking over the map.
“I know a little. Where did you get my map?”
Doctor Maxwell turned his head toward Landen. The map they had been following was one he had left in his science lab in the city the day people began to become sick. He had left it along with the radio Landen and his group had been using to find him. His plan was for a military figure from the base near capital city to find his map, his radio, and come to his rescue saving mankind from its extinction. A happy ending all too many people had given up on, including the doctor.
“From a man in the woods, he was attacked by one of them and we couldn’t save him.” said Landen, recalling the day and the ones that followed.
“Thank you for risking everything to find me; you don’t know what it could mean to mankind.” Doctor Maxwell tipped his hat to Landen and the group.
“No, I don’t know what it could mean; why don’t you tell me?” Landen was beginning to become bored with guessing games. He wanted to know what this Doctor had planned and he wanted to know before they brought him back to the campsite and made another deadly mistake.
“Well, I’ve told you most of what had happened; my team and I were working on an anti-vax, an antidote of sorts. It wouldn’t be able to cure those already taken however it would have prevented it. We had the serum; we were close to a testing phase when those monsters broke in. “
Doctor Maxwell reached into the interior pocket of his dirty beige jacket and took out a small silver item.
“This thumb drive has our research on it. It’s encrypted.” he said.
Landen looked at him with confusion.
“How are we supposed to access your data when there isn’t any electricity let alone a computer to plug it in to?”
End of the World (Book 1): Infected Page 4