Landen was not very educated when it came to computers and technology, he was raised a country boy. Doctor Maxwell began to chuckle to himself. He took out his map and unfolded it. He pointed to a large shaded area close to the top left corner of the map; it was far enough from where they had travelled.
“There is a military base, north-west of where your campsite is located. It could take several days or weeks to get there by vehicle provided we have enough supplies to make the trip...”
Landen interrupted Doctor Maxwell, he hadn’t agreed on another trip.
“Let’s get you back to the campsite and we can talk more from there.”
Chapter 7
The clouds rolled across the sky as a storm seemed to be brewing nearby. The group hiked for miles, toward where they had hidden the van for safe keeping. They walked at a steady pace.
Matt walked a few steps behind everyone else. He grabbed a long branch to use as a walking stick; he gripped the top, stabbing down into the ground angrily with each step. He was still fuming from the argument with Landen. There was nothing more he wanted than to punch him in the face. Landen was lucky he resisted the urge.
He had Fighter in his blood. In his old life, he was the boss who had nobody to answer to but himself. He hated it when anybody tried to control him or tell him he was wrong. Matt was one bad mistake away from a bomb about to explode. The question was when would it happen?
Kris walked silently beside Matt. She was angry with him; he didn’t have to do what he did.
“You shouldn’t have stepped in.”
“Well, you’re welcome.”
He had no idea what he had really done; in his own mind, Matt had saved the damsel in distress. In reality, he made things harder on everybody.
“Nobody would have hated Alex for pulling that trigger. He knew what has to be done and he was the only one with the balls to do it.” Kris snapped.
Her voice was deepening as she spoke, her eyes darkened from light blue to grey. Matt looked at her, she looked so different. The infection was taking over, slowly.
“This Doctor has a cure, he can help you.”
Kris smiled a weak smile; she knew that was not going to happen, at least not for her. This wasn’t a fairy tale with a happy ending.
“We don’t know that. What we do know is that no matter what anybody says or does at this point won’t matter. It is what it is and I am going to become one of them. I am infected, Matt.”
Matt bit his upper lip and rolled his eyes.
“You don’t get it do you?” he said as he looked at her.
“We can’t just give up; I won’t give up on you. I need you around. Do I have to spell it out for you?” he continued.
He did not take his eyes off her; he wanted to make sure she knew what he was saying. He was never great with expressing himself; this was his way of telling her how he really felt, he had wasted enough time not telling her.
“I’m not giving up, Matt. I’m facing reality. Tell me how many infected survived to write home about it? I know what I have to do.” she said.
“I won’t let you do it.” Matt continued. He was not going to give up easily.
“You can’t stop it...”she said quietly.
Matt stood in front of her and held her for a moment; he knew this would be the last chance to look into her eyes, their last moment together.
“I’m sorry.”
Kris looked up at him with tears in her eyes, this was not the way things were supposed to be but it was the way they had to be.
“Let’s get going” she said as the two continued walking along the path.
***
Further along, Landen and Sydney walked together, she a little behind him. She was seeing him in a different light. She felt disrespected, her word didn’t matter; her sister didn’t matter. She felt like the whole situation was blown completely out of control.
“I’m sorry, Syd.” He said quietly.
She knew Landen better than anybody else in their group but even she was not expecting an immediate apology and a seemingly insincere one at that.
He knew he reacted in all the wrong ways; he should have handled the situation like a real leader would have. He didn’t mean the things that he said back there and he shouldn’t have let his anger take over. She was only trying to protect her sister but he let his hot head and worse, his fears get the better of him.
“She’s my sister, Lan.” She said as she looked up at him.
She quickly wiped her nose with her sleeve, she had been sobbing on and off throughout their walk.
“Where’s Matt going to go?” She asked.
“I’ll talk to Matt later.” He said.
Landen tried to put his arm around her; she pushed away from his touch.
“Sorry, I can’t.” she said.
She needed time to think; not only did they lose a valued member of their group but her sister as well, even though she was still alive Sydney was already mourning her death. Landen could feel coldness from her where there was usually such warmth; one of the things he loved most about her. He had never felt that from her before. Matt kills someone and I’m the one being treated like the monster. He thought to himself.
Sydney picked up her pace and began walking ahead of him, joining Kris and Matt up ahead. She didn’t want to talk to him anymore; she had too many things to process already.
Doctor Maxwell put his hand on Landen’s shoulder from behind him. He had heard the conversation; he had been silent throughout the whole thing.
“It’s hard to love in a world so full of hate.”
He was trying to break the ice; it was too quiet for his liking. What happened with Alex was a surprise to everyone, it wouldn’t help them to continue dwelling on a situation that had passed. It had been one big ripple of events leading up to one of the worst hunts this group had been on in some months. These were the events that could tear them apart indefinitely and at that moment in time, they all needed each other.
“We lost a man today and Kris is infected because of an attack, all to find you. So, what’s your deal?” Landen asked.
He didn’t feel the story told back at the mine was enough; he wanted to hear more, he wanted to know more.
“I don’t have a deal; I have knowledge and information that will be quite useful. I will explain in due time, once we are in a safer place.” smiled Doctor Maxwell.
“How do I know I can trust you?” asked Landen.
“You don’t. Just like I don’t know if I can trust you or your people but I’m putting my faith in you. You could have killed me in that mine or I you and we didn’t. There’s not much else to do in this day but hope you’re making a good choice.” he said.
The two continued walking, Landen watched Sydney walk with Kris a few feet ahead.
“She isn’t going to survive more than another day or less. You have to decide what you are going to do.” he looked at him.
“It’s not my decision to make.” Landen replied.
***
“Why didn’t you just tell me when it happened?” Sydney questioned Kris.
She couldn’t understand why her sister would lie to her about something this serious. She wasn’t protecting her from any hurt she hadn’t already felt. She was hurting her more by trying to keep her in the dark.
“I didn’t know this would happen. I didn’t mean for anybody to get hurt. I was trying to protect you.” Kris wiped her face with her sleeve.
She was sweating profusely; her breathing was becoming difficult the more she walked. Kris reached under the back of her shirt and pulled out a gun. It was the gun that Alex tried to shoot her with.
“What? Why do you have Landen’s gun?” asked Sydney with shock in her voice.
She had a gut feeling she knew what Kris was about to say.
“There’s a four way road not far up ahead. When we get there, I’ll go my own way and you go yours. Please, don’t follow me.” She said.
Sydney shook her head
in disbelief; she was not going to let her sister die alone. This was not happening, not again.
“No, you’re not just going to go like that!” she was trying hard to fight the lump in her throat as a tear fell down her face. She was heartbroken that her sister made this decision and on her own.
“This isn’t anyone else’s decision to make. I’ll go into the forest. You don’t need to see me do this. I’ll be okay sis.” Kris said.
She knew what she had to do, no matter how much she knew she was hurting her sister seeing her as an infected would hurt her even more; she couldn’t risk it. Sydney grabbed hold of her sisters hand, she could feel her trembling; her skin cold. The infection was taking over, soon this wouldn’t be the Kris they all knew and loved. Sydney knew she had to let Kris go.
***
The group came to the four way dirt roads and stopped, surrounding Kris. This was it for her, there was nothing anybody could say or do to make her change her mind. Kris knew she could not bring this back to the campsite and threaten the safety of even more people. Her time had come and she had come to terms with it. It was time for them to say their goodbyes.
Landen hugged Kris tight, she hadn’t told anybody about her plan except Sydney up until then and as much sorrow as he felt for what was about to happen, he was in a way relieved he didn’t have to do it himself. They released their hug and looked at each other.
“Take care of my sister.” She said.
She turned to Matt who was trying hard to keep himself composed but burst into a sobbing mess when Kris hugged him.
“Thank you for trying to save my life.” she said, giving him a peck on the cheek.
Doctor Maxwell stood next to Matt; Kris turned to him.
“Find a cure for this son of a bitch.” She said, saluting him; he nodded.
Lastly, Kris turned to Sydney to say her final goodbye. They held a hug they wished could have lasted an eternity. As she pulled away from Sydney, she blew her a kiss and began to walk away mouthing the words ‘Good bye.’
Sydney stood in the middle of the four way paths with the others as they watched her disappear into the forest thick. A rain storm began to burst from the clouds as the remainder of that once strong group went on their way; the sound of a shotgun echoed in the distance.
Chapter 8
It had been raining hard and windy; suitable weather under the circumstance. The group had to put a halt on their journey and take haven under a thick roof of trees as the storm passed over them. Sydney swore she could feel her sister, she was gone yet still with her. She missed her so much. The trip had been long and a loss for the most part; the group was not anticipating this amount of hardship in a matter of a few days. They had no idea how much more they could take. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.
The midday storm faded as streams of sun shot through the grey wispy clouds. It wasn’t far before they would reach the van still hidden where they had left it; it was the half way mark to getting home. Returning home would be difficult, both Alex and Kris had a life with everyone back at that campsite. Landen would have to tell the others what had happened; he would have to relive the events telling the tragic story of two great lives lost while trying to save a man who claims he can save the world.
***
Landen felt tired and numb but grateful he was able to make it through one more day alive. He looked over at Sydney who was sitting in the front passenger seat of the van. Her eyes were red and cheeks tear stained, she looked sadder than he had ever seen her and he wanted nothing more than to hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright. After what had happened on the trail, he wasn’t sure if she wanted him to be her hero any longer.
“I’m sorry.” He said quietly.
He put his hand on her thigh. She placed her hand on his and squeezed a little. They knew without words that they needed each other if not then more than ever.
She forced a smile and looked over at him; she still loved him, despite what had happened. She did not want to lose the last person she loved. She was exhausted, Landen meant too much to her to stay upset with him. They all made mistakes that day.
He was changing but so was she, they all were. Once civilized people were living as if they were animals. Doing what they could within their power to defend and survive while trying to keep their sanity or what was left of it. Knowing what would happen next was anyone’s guess; every moment of life was precious because any moment could have been their last.
Matt sat in the rear seat of the van; he had been quiet the whole time not having spoken to Landen since the fight. He felt they lost more than they gained with this spontaneous adventure. Doctor Maxwell had been right about a few things concerning the infected but he did not really believe one man had the formula to cure an entire world. What he had told Kris was just hopeful talk; he didn’t want to lose her. There was no going back to the way things were before. Nobody was who they used to once be.
Suddenly, Landen slowed the van down and brought it to a halt. Everybody looked out the windows to see why they had stopped. Fallen trees blocked the pathway they had taken to get to where they had been. Infected had gathered, walking in a constant motion as if they could somehow go through the thick trunks of the trees.
“The storm must have knocked those trees down.”
Doctor Maxwell looked at the map, it had blood stains on it; another reminder of what he had done.
“Is there another way Doc?” asked Matt.
Doctor Maxwell mumbled to himself as he trailed his finger across a line on the map. There was another way they could get back to the campsite but it was longer and more dangerous as nobody in the van recognized the area between where they were and where they were headed. There was nothing they could do; they would risk it and go the way he suggested.
Landen took a look at the map to get an idea of where they were headed; more dirt roads, ones that probably hadn’t seen much traffic even before the infection took over. He put the van in reverse and turned around, making a left a few miles down onto a dark dirt road hidden by tree branches. The branches cracked and crashed on the windshield as the van drove through. Everyone held onto their seats for their unexpected rough ride.
The van bumped along the terrain until they felt a big thud, the ground changed. It didn’t feel like dirt or grass; it was hard to control the steering.
“I don’t think the van was made for this!” said Sydney.
“What is this?” added Matt, trying to see what they were driving over out the window.
Landen switched gears and tried to plough through, looking out his side view mirrors he saw it; a swarm of infected behind them, fallen to the ground but still alive stuck in a thick of mud. If they were behind him, that meant there were more under them. He pressed his foot down harder on the gas as mud and guts flew on every side of them, they could hear the sound of skulls crushing as the infected snarled and growled below them. This was not a path or a road, it was a river turned swamp from a mudslide.
As they rolled over the last portion of the carpet of infected, the van sputtered and came to a grinding halt. They stepped out and Landen popped open the hood. A gust of smoke came out as the group waved their hands to clear it. Under the hood, chunks of mud and parts of the infected they ran over had become lodged in the gears of the motor causing it to overheat and make the dead stop. It would take a while to clear it out, they were lucky if the van still ran at all.
***
With a swamp of infected behind them, Sydney and Doctor Maxwell stood along the side of the path as Landen and Matt assessed the situation with the van. Matt leaned over and reached a gloved hand into the motor, pulling out a handful of mud-covered stringy infected guts from inside. He threw it to the ground and went in for another handful, grabbing an old cloth from his belt to wipe off what was left inside. Landen sat in the driver’s seat, waiting for Matt to give him a signal to start it. Matt added some water to the radiator, hoping this would do the trick and get them back
on the road before too much longer. They had already wasted enough time taking this extra route home.
Matt stood up and gave Landen a thumbs-up. Landen turned the key as hard as he could without breaking it; no luck. He tried again, this time giving it a little gas. Matt dove out of the way as gunk flew out of the motor and from beneath the mud flaps. The van started, purring and rustling as it always did. Matt sat on the ground with a smile of success; he wiped his face with his cloth and got back into the van with everyone else.
Doctor Maxwell took out his map; the next turn would bring them just miles away from their campsite travelling along an old highway.
As Landen turned the van from the dirt path onto the highway, he noticed smoke in the distance. He was so exhausted he thought no more of it once his attention was drawn toward the van as it sputtered; the motor started to stall. He pulled the van over to the side of the road and put it in park. He hadn’t realized the gas was running on empty. That extra force getting over the fallen infected must have burned the last of it up. Landen got out of the van, Matt followed behind him opening the back doors. He grabbed the gas tank and handed it to Landen.
“Thanks brother.” Landen said, barely looking up at him.
He was sorry of the way he treated one of the few people who had always been there for him, since everything ended.
“No problem, brother.” said Matt.
“I’m sorry about...”
“Don’t sweat it; we all lost our shit back there.”
Matt gave Landen a friendly tap on the shoulder and closed the van doors. Landen opened the gas tank door and unscrewed the lid. As he began pouring the gas into the tank, he stopped to listen for a moment. He swore he could hear faint yelling in the background, not screaming or anything horrifying, just yelling. As if someone was calling for their attention.
“Do you hear that?” he asked.
He looked around to see if someone was actually there or if he was just beginning to go a little bit crazy from being so exhausted. In the distance, they could see someone running toward their direction, waving their arms in the air frantically. There didn’t seem to be anything following them, just one single person. Landen put his binoculars up to his eyes to get a better look; it was a girl. She wasn’t very big in size but she was fast on her feet. She caught up close to where Matt and Landen stood beside the van and leaned over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath; her dark brown braid fell over her shoulders. She was armed with a hand gun on her belt and ammo to boot.
End of the World (Book 1): Infected Page 5