Flash Series (Book 2): Immune

by Gomez, Jessica

  I feel Ian’s hand slide away as he gives us this moment. A moment we need, but have denied ourselves for a long time. We stand silently, surrounded by stacked firewood, and hug.

  When Mason speaks, his voice is loud, echoing off the walls of our silent room. “We’ll figure out your sight. What the infected have planned. Try not to worry. I would never let anything happen to you.”

  I place my forehead against his shoulder, enjoying his contact. “I hope so.” I whisper.

  He runs his fingers through my hair a couple of times, relaxing me the way he used to. “You can count on me for anything. You know that right?” He tilts my head up to meet his gaze.

  “Yes.”

  He smiles and pulls me tight one last time. “Good.” He clears his throat. “Ian, you can stop hiding outside the tunnel and come back in.”

  When Ian pops immediately around the corner, I laugh. His cheeks tint pink with his embarrassment, but it doesn’t stop him from strutting to my side. Mason smiles as he walks by, clapping him on the back, whispering quietly enough to keep me in the dark. He continues chopping wood and kicking them off to the side for me to stack. Ian finishes making his way over, a cocky grin pulling at the corner of his mouth.

  His calculated smirk makes me giggle. “What’re you smiling about?” I playfully push at him as he pulls me close.

  “Nothing.” He captures me in his grasp and kisses me. His lips are salty from the workout he’s getting.

  Tilting my head to the side, I decide to let it go. He did give Mason and me a moment. Instead, I shake my head, my smile finding my lips easily again. I peck his lips before moving to finish stacking. I can sense his eyes following me, caressing. A small shiver glides across my body, causing me to glance over my shoulder, catching Ian’s cocky grin out in full force. He knows exactly what he does to me.

  The last bit of wood we shred into kindling, placing it closer to the front of the cave next to the dried weeds we’d brought in during the summer. During the winter months, one person stays up throughout the night to make sure all the fires stay lit, then restock for daytime. Last winter, there were only a handful of people who switched off. I’d overhear Michael talking about how there are several more people to split this duty with. Nobody cares to stay up at night alone while the rest of us sleep. Double duty is an option this year, especially with the threat of the infected. Last year, Tony and Sam weren’t considered old enough to handle the job, but they’ve grown over the last year in experience, thanks to Jen’s classes. James and Deagon have both been added to the roster, as well as Quinn. The rotations will go by faster if we all doubled up, so I know when it comes time, I’ll volunteer.

  By the afternoon, I’m smelly and hungry. We head toward the kitchen to eat, and to see my baby girl. My grin spreads ear to ear when I hear Azami bluntly ask Sarah, “Are you and Dedan in wove?” As I enter the room, Azami is touching her hand and tilting her head to the side.

  “Azami,” I warn her.

  She snaps her hand back to her lap, smiling sweetly at me, as if she’s done nothing wrong. “Hi, Momma!” she squeals, running over to me.

  I swoop her up and hug her, even though I know this is a ploy to keep her out of trouble. And dammit, if it doesn’t work. I laugh to myself, bringing Azami into a fit of giggles as she touches my skin, knowing she can get away with almost anything. When the threat of her getting into trouble fades, she wiggles down from me and climbs Ian.

  “Hi, Daddy.” She touches his cheeks with her little hands, getting her read in for the day.

  He laughs. “Hey, pumpkin. Did you have fun cooking?”

  She’s nods before his question is finished. “Yes! We made a snack for nap time.”

  “That’s great! I can’t wait to have one. Should we go wash you up before lunch?”

  She jumps down and heads over to the water in the kitchen, washing her hands the way we taught her, while the rest of the crowd begins to filter in for lunch. The chatter floating around the room is light. They’re still unaware of the threat my dream held. We’ve also kept some of the truth from Dane. The stress he’s displaying has played havoc on his temperament and relationship. We want to protect him from more worry, but as my eyes travel over the people in the small kitchen, my family, I realize we’ll have to tell them sooner, rather than later. They deserve the right to protect themselves, and they can’t do that with bits and pieces of information. They’ve always known there was a chance the infected could find the cave and attack, but the notion of Jeff, an infected, personally hunting us down is unfathomable. The idea of the infected growing in intelligence honestly freaks the shit out of me. What if Jeff isn’t the only one of his kind? What if they’re all becoming…more? If my dream holds any semblance of truth, they can communicate without speaking. Somehow, while standing right in front of a silent group of infected, I watched a plan form. No words. With the extra gifts our group are discovering, it makes me wonder if the Infected are evolving in their own way, just as we have, which would be bad—really, really bad.

  “Hey.” Ian bumps me, face full of concern. “You all right?” His words are low, for my ears only.

  I begin to say yes, but then I shake my head. “No. I’m not, actually.”

  He moves his hand to my leg for support. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours? Your emotions are all over the place.”

  “We should tell everyone about my dream, and about us. Leaving Azami out, of course. They deserve to know what may come for them. Not preparing them is deceitful.” He watches me intently, sensing the seriousness of my words.

  Finally, he nods. “I know, I was thinking the same thing. They deserve to know. Most of them do, anyway, and the others probably think we’re insane.” He laughs, softening the situation. “Let’s have a bonfire in the main cavern tonight. We’ll tell everyone there.”

  An unknown weight lifts off my chest. Hiding this from them has plagued me more than I realized, leaving me to eat lunch in peace. Ian scoots closer, lending me his silent support, knowing how much tension will be released with our decision.

  With the arrival of Jere and Shelley, our entire group is present. Ian announces the meeting in the main cavern after meal time. The tension may have evaporated for one reason, but began to creep back in when I worried they wouldn’t except me. My entire childhood was filled with rejection. The rational side of my brain continues to remind me that most of the people I care for already know my secret. We discussed with James our plan before we outed his secret and he agreed, our cave family deserved the truth. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll harness the gifts we’ve received from the apocalypse. Only now, we prepare to tell the small amount of people left in our lives that we care about a pretty farfetched explanation.

  Serious faces surround us as the fire crackles against the silence in the main cave. Curious stares and whispers begin, wondering why we’ve called this meeting.

  “Thank you all for coming.” My first words quiet most of the chatter. “We’ve called this meeting to give you vital information.” The words spew from my lips, from beginning to end. The attack on the dog that spurred our move to the caves. James’s sight. How he’s able to sense planned attacks. Ian’s extra sense of emotion, and his ability to read highs and lows in all the people around him. Then, most importantly, I tell them about me and my ability to dream the future, and the infected I saw outside our home.

  “How could you keep this from us?” Shelley shouts at me. “You’ve placed us all in danger by keeping this to yourself.”

  Jere whispers to her, calming her down, but that doesn’t stop the murmured agreements. I understand how they feel. If I were in their shoes, I’d feel the same.

  “Easy, Shelley.” Ian steps in after he senses my guilt.

  “Easy? Easy! You don’t know what they’re capable of…” Shelley’s voice trails off, and her body begins to quake with fear. Shelley and I have never had a real connection, but my heart still aches for her past.

  “I
do know what their capable of,” I growl. I may not have been violated by them in all ways, but I definitely suffered at their hands. Jeff’s hands.

  Her eyes soften, but still deepen in color with their fright.

  “Why didn’t you tell me everything?” Dane yells out, more pissed about his exclusion than I would have thought.

  Ian remains silent, but looks between him and Rosie, expressing our excuse without airing all their dirty laundry. He turns away, eyes flashing in anger.

  I look to Ian, and he murmurs, “He’s pissed. His emotions are all over the place, feeling everything at once.”

  I watch Dane for a moment longer, until Rosie draws my attention with her retreat. It seems Ian’s attempt at nonchalance was unsuccessful. Rosie exits from the group, quietly enough that no one pays her any mind, except Dane, who glares at her disappearing form.

  “Listen, the fact remains we have an issue with the infected. Jeff is working on a plan to penetrate our cave. The last dream I had concerned us enough to bring about this meeting. I don’t want anyone to get hurt, especially if I can potentially help to avoid it. We’re taking precautions. Luke is organizing a perimeter patrol twenty-four seven, and the two people who will stock the fire at night will watch the entrances from inside.”

  “Will that be enough?” Naveen asks, looking nervous as Gage claps his hands on her lap.

  “We’re not sure, unfortunately.” I look down, disappointed with my answer. “We’re taking all the precautions we can think of, including keeping twenty-four hour surveillance. I’m sorry, Naveen. I wish there was more I could offer in answers.”

  Ian rubs my back, Azami copying him and rubbing the other side, causing me to smile. “We’ll keep them out,” he reassures me.

  A loud commotion fills the entrance of the cave, making me wonder if the infected took this moment to break in. That is, until Deagon rushes into the meeting, carrying Quinn on his back, motionless.

  “Help!” His voice is strained from Quinn’s weight. “Michael!” His eyes are searching him out, panic riding high. There’s blood all over his back, running down his sides.

  “They’re here!” Jan screams, running down the hall, returning to her room to hide.

  Most of the group moves to assist Deagon. I hand Azami off to Naveen and Sophie, who are removing Gage from the room. Neither of the kids need to see this. Tony and Sam left, hopefully to calm their mother down and inform her it’s not the infected

  “What happened?” Michael barks, his demeanor switching to doctor mode.

  “Bear…it was a bear. We cornered it. I told Quinn it was too big for us to take down, but he said it would last us for months. He couldn’t let it go. The bear swiped him with his claws.”

  “Aaarrrrh!” Quinn yells out as Deagon lays him out flat on the ground.

  Michael doesn’t respond to Deagon’s explanation, instead ripping Quinn’s shirt down the middle. Everyone around him flinches, seeing the wounds. Four long, deep gashes, seep with deep, red blood. This is bad. Jen elbows her way back through the crowd, pressing towels against his stomach, causing him to cry out again.

  “Water. I need really hot water,” Michael orders.

  Jen disappears again, coming back minutes later with hot water from the kitchen and a small medical kit. “Here.” She hands the first cup to Michael.

  “This is going to hurt. Brace yourself,” he informs Quinn moments before dumping the liquid onto him stomach.

  A roar erupts from his mouth, and then he falls silent. My hands begin to shake. We can’t lose him. Michael checks the pulse on his neck, nodding once to himself. Hopefully, meaning he’s still with us.

  “Move the towels. Let’s see what we got,” Michael orders Jen.

  She removes the towels, showing his injuries. The sight brings tears to my eyes. Each laceration is at least an inch wide, his fatty tissue and muscle ooze out of the tattered skin. The blood still flows, but’s slowed enough for Michael to work on him.

  “Lillie. Jen. Wash your hands with one of the cups of water. I’m going to need your help holding his skin together so I can stitch them up. He’s lost a lot of blood. If he’s going to make it, we have got to get these closed up.”

  I quickly move over to Jen, Ian helping us pour the water onto our hands. The water is still pretty hot, making me realize how much that had to of hurt Quinn to have it poured onto his wounds. After the water drips free, I hold my hands up, as if I were a doctor getting ready for surgery.

  “Jen. I need you to hold a clean towel to the wounds I’m not closing to keep the dirt out. We can’t afford an infection. Lillie, I need you to hold this top wound together, like this.” He shows me how to hold the side of his skin together. “We need to move fast. It’s better for him to stay passed out for this part. It’s gonna hurt like a bitch.”

  We follow Michael’s instructions to a T. I hold each wound together as he makes his way down the four large gashes, sewing them together, moving gracefully and smoothly. Each stitch is placed with care and determination to keep him alive. Deagon paces behind us the entire time, silently running his hands through his hair. Blood still covers a good portion of his upper body. Jen reaches into the med kit, putting together a needle and some sort of liquid meds. Once she finishes, she hands it to Michael. As a last step, he sticks the needle into his arm and pumps him full of the clear liquid.

  “There.” Michael washes his hands. “The bleeding has stopped. I’ve given him an antibiotic. Hopefully, the medicine is still good and will work to fight any infection. We need to move him to a clean place to rest and remove his dirty clothes. He’ll require a sponge bath and new clothes.”

  “Got it,” Jen and I both reply at the same time.

  Ian, Mason, and Zack move to grab one of the collapsible cots to carry him to his room. Once we reach the room, I have them lay him on the ground. We place a clean sheet over his bed, then remove his clothes before placing him on the linen. His body begins to shake from the cold and shock. Jen and I quickly washed the blood off his body, drying him as we go, attempting to keep him as warm as possible.

  “He’s going to need a fire. Mason, go get a small bin for fire. We’ll have to stay with him twenty-four hours for the first couple of days.” I push the hair off his forehead, and despite his chills, his body’s warm.

  Jen lays a towel over his wounds before placing a blanket over his body. “He needs body heat. Lillie, get on the other side of him.”

  I nod, understanding her request. Bringing his temp to the correct degree is very important. Even if he feels hot, his body is actually freezing. I climb onto one side of his bed, Jen on the other, and we sandwich Quinn between us. Slowly, his body shakes begin to dwindle. While we lay with him, I silently wish for him to make it. We can’t afford to lose him. A lone tear drips from my eye and rolls into my ear.

  Mason returns a short while later, getting a small fire going in seconds. He pulls the metal container close to Quinn’s bed, and the room quickly warms, something I’m grateful for. Michael’s quick reaction time probably saved his life. Once I feel his temperature begin to cool, I move away from him and turn to Ian.

  “Can you read him?” I ask.

  “He’s in a lot of pain. That’s all I can sense. There’s no other emotion. It’s too early to tell if he’ll make it.” He takes a deep breath. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

  I look down, realizing my shirt is covered in blood, but I shake my head, not wanting to leave. “Someone’s supposed to stay with him.”

  Ian nods toward Michael, who’s talking quietly to Jen. “Jen and Michael are going to stay with him for the first few days.”

  I move toward Ian, realizing they’re the best choice to stay with him during the critical hours. Before we leave, I turn back to them. “Please, come get me if you need more help.”

  “We will.” Jen attempts to smile.

  “Azami’s going to stay with Naveen tonight. Mason grabbed some clothes for you, so I thought we could go d
own and take a bath, get you cleaned up.”

  I stay quiet, but nod.

  Ian moves me into the bathing area and begins to undress me, helping me to sink down into the hot bathing water. He moves behind me and begins washing my hair and body, massaging my muscles. By the time he finishes, my eyes can barely stay open, but I manage to get out, and Ian dries me off before slipping on some clean clothes. Without a word, he scoops me up and into his chest, releasing a giant sigh as I nestle against his hard chest.

  “You did well tonight. I think he’ll make it,” he reassures me.

  “I hope so.” I really, really hope so.

  Chapter 19

  Ian

  After putting Lillie to bed, I leave the room, in search of Deagon. It takes me a while to track him down, and when I do, I find him standing by the entrance to the cave, looking out into the darkness. Being in the mountains, basically in the middle of nowhere, makes for a pitch black night. Winter clouds blanket the night sky, blocking out the moon and stars, leaving no chance for light to seep through.

  “What’re doing, standing out here? You shouldn’t be alone.” The infected could be lurking in the shadows, and after what just happened, being alone is probably giving him too much time to think about the what ifs.

  After a moment, without turning around, he answers. “I’m pretty sure he killed the bear. When they went down, Quinn had his knife out, and the bear landed off to his side. I know he stabbed it, because it roared so loud, I thought you all would hear it. I didn’t wait around long enough to find out. I snagged Quinn and ran.” His hand finds its way through his hair again, causing it to stand on end.

  Silence follows again as Deagon continued to stare into the blackness. “What’re you thinking?” I know he’s plotting something. I want to know if it’s something I’d have to help change his mind about.

  “If Quinn killed that bear, it’s just sitting out there. We should go and get it before the wolves do.” Finally, he turns to look at me with sad eyes. “I don’t want him to die for nothing.”