Flash Series (Book 2): Immune

by Gomez, Jessica

  My current paranoia has Azami staying with me today, skipping her normal cooking time. She wasn’t too happy with me, but once she touched my hand and sensed the reason behind my worries, she didn’t argue. She chose instead to set up her pretend kitchen and make mud pies that she tried to give out to Sam and Tony as they dug up the garden next to us. They were sweet with her, pretending to eat their pie and that it was the best thing they’d ever tasted.

  I watch Ian and James as they walk down the tunnel to meet up with Mason and Deagon, who had patrolled last night after our gathering. Sarah no doubt had a nice breakfast ready for them before they headed off to bed. Before long, I hear laughter coming from the outer tunnel, signaling Mason and Deagon returning from their patrol.

  Azami hops to her feet, rushing over to them with her hands dripping with mud. “I have mud pies.” She offers one to each of them.

  Deagon smiles and snatches his right up. “Mmm. Thank you! I was so hungry.” He’s making an overly dramatic eating noise, chomping his lips, causing her to giggle.

  “Hey, no hogging,” Mason chimes in, snatching the second pie, copying Deagon’s pretend eating.

  By the time they’re finished, Azami is laughing, holding her tummy. “You’re funny.”

  “Thank you for the breakfast. I’m going to see Sarah before hitting the sack. Bye, little lady.” Deagon waves at Azami as he walks away.

  “Bye, Dedan!” She waves back before running over to Mason and lifts her hands up, signaling she wants him to pick her up.

  He leans down and scoops her up. “Hey, munchkin. Are you helping mommy in the garden?”

  “Yep.” She nods, even though she’s only played in the mud since we’ve arrived.

  “She sure is. I don’t know how I’d do it without her.” I smile and pat her butt.

  “How are you feeling?” he asks, his voice concerned.

  I leaned on the shovel, setting myself securely before answering. “I’m okay.”

  “Lil…” Mason starts. “You don’t have to be brave.” He reaches over and pulls me close.

  Azami pats my back, soothing me. I don’t like to talk about this in front of her, but more than likely, she’s able to read it off my touch. “I know… and I can’t lie and say I’m not worried. Honestly, though, there’s nothing we can do but wait and see what fate has in store for us this time around.” A heavy sigh blows through my lips. “We’re strong. I have no doubt we’ll survive—”

  “But?” He prompts, setting Azami back down. I wait until she’s back at her kitchen before continuing.

  “But I’m worried about who we’ll lose along the way. Am I going to start dreaming about everyone we’ll lose? I’ve already seen one of our deaths. Quinn…” My voice chokes quietly.

  “Hey.” He pulls me closer, lending me some of his strength. “I saw him tonight. He looks good. We don’t know for sure that these dreams will come true.”

  “I hope you’re right,” I whisper, but the knot in my gut is telling me otherwise.

  “You know I’d never let anything happen to you two, right?”

  A smile lifts at his kind words. Ian made me a promise with the same words just the other day. Unfortunately, that’s not something you can promise. They’d both try, throw their lives on the line, but destiny is a cruel bitch, and if she wants me, she’ll take me. “I know.”

  ~~~~~~

  After lunch, I take Azami back to our room, deciding we could both use a nap.

  Shortly after I close my eyes, visions begin to dance behind my lids. At first, they’re pleasant. Azami and I playing in the garden, almost a replica of today’s events. The soil’s difficult to turn, working kinks into all my muscles, causing me to crave the comfort of my bed. Azami is covered up to her elbows in mud, laughing as she attempts to get Sam to pretend eat his third pie of the day. Suddenly, the scene shifts, darkening to almost black. Roaring deafens me, but even without sight, I know it’s a river. A hint of wetness and mountain air sweeps through my sinuses. My eyes are the last to adjust and when they do, I see the riverbank. Sorrow shrouds the air. Off the bank, floating down the river, is a man-sized pallet.

  Understanding hits me. We’ve lost him, and they’re setting him free. My heart sinks, but in dream form, I cannot mourn. The tears I long to shed are locked away, my emotions ravishing my body, breaking off another piece of my soul. Abruptly, a curtain slams closed, blackening my dream before I’m snatched off my feet. Snow may have laid a cover to coat the ground, but it’s done nothing to soften the blows as I’m dragged across the ground, tearing and shredding my exposed skin. The darkness is obscuring my vision, keeping my abductors hidden. Grunts and growls trail behind them, echoing in my ears. Breathing heavily, panic courses through my body, my heart beating as fast as wings.

  “Stop!” I scream out, unsure how much longer I can handle the ground digging into me.

  There’s no response.

  When I finally stop, my back feels shredded, as if with a cheese grater. I still can’t see my abductors, but I can see four figures surrounding me. But the one who has been dragging me turns, and I see him clearly.

  Jeff.

  His teeth are already yellowing to match his eyes as he smiles down at me. His gravelly voice speaks my worst fears. “Mine.”

  “No!” I sit up straight in bed, a cold sweat covering my body. Even though the words are screaming through my head, the room is relatively silent. Azami’s snores are echoing off the walls. Our small fire is only lit by coals, signaling that we’ve slept longer than I anticipated.

  Outside the door, a hurried commotion moves closer. Our curtain is tugged aside, illuminating Ian’s handsome, but worried face. Once he sees me awake, he enters the room, crouching down next to me.

  “Are you all right? Your emotions…they were projecting so strongly. I sensed them from the storage tunnel.”

  Finding my voice after a moment, I speak to calm him. “I’m fine. Only a dream.” I place my hand on my chest, willing my heart to slow its speed.

  Ian sits next to me and rubs my shoulder. He doesn’t speak. His presence supports me enough. I lean into him, taking the comfort he offers. We stay like that for a few more minutes, cherishing what we have while we have it.

  “I came by earlier to check on you two. You were both sleeping so sound, I couldn’t wake you.”

  I meet his eyes and speak the words that have me terrified. “Jeff is going to take me.” There’s no denying it. My brain keeps telling me, ‘Maybe it’s just a dream. Maybe I’m overreacting…’ but my gut tells me differently. He’s going to take me.

  My words silence him, sucking the breath from his lungs. A plethora of emotions pass across his face. I don’t need a gift to sense his worry and torment. They’re displayed perfectly across every features. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you.” His voice is deep, rough.

  Looking down, I can’t meet his eyes. “After Quinn dies is when it happens. You float him on a pallet down the river, then the dream switched and I’m taken.”

  Ian’s hand tightens around my waist. “Never.”

  “I’ll start carrying a weapon. Past time I did anyway,” I say, leaning my head against his shoulder.

  He breathes in deep, turning to kiss my temple. “You want to go sit in the kitchen and watch me cook?”

  I turn, looking at him curiously. “Cook?”

  He chuckles at my expression. “Don’t look so scared. I can cook, you know.”

  I laugh, shaking my head. “Where’s Sarah?”

  “She’ll cook the rest of dinner. I only volunteered to cook the meat. The snow is falling more by the hour. We’ll start packing it into the storage cave soon, and then store the bear there. Until then, we get to eat as much as we can.”

  The sound of a good steak makes my mouth water. “That sounds really good. Let’s wake Az up. She can help with the bread.”

  Thirty minutes in, Azami is once again covered in flour. Sitting at the counter, I watch as Ian slices chunks off a large
portion of meat, placing them on our makeshift grill. A large slab of rock sirs along the back wall. The water that runs through its veins heats the surface to cooking degrees. Touching it with your bare hands is a mistake you wouldn’t make twice. The meat sizzles, filling the kitchen with a delicious aroma. Azami’s laughter fills the room as I flick flour at her and Sarah. Jen and Michael joined us shortly after we arrived. Michael looks exhausted, probably requiring this break more than any of us. Deagon enters a short while later, wrapping Sarah in his arms when he reaches her. Their interactions cause me to smile. Their love is new, but beautiful and fresh. I kiss Ian’s cheek and whisper, I love you, before moving to join Michael and Jen. I want to ask them about Quinn. How long did he have? How long did I have?

  “Hey, how are you?” I ask them both, because Jen appears just as drained as Michael.

  Michael’s fingers trail through his hair, a tired expression on his face. “He’s out of the woods. His wound his almost normal color. He’s not awake yet, but I believe he will any day.” He watches me thoughtfully. “You have any more dreams?”

  I understand what he’s asking me. Have I seen him die? “Yes. Just now, before we came.” I’m quiet when I speak, but Ian glances over to us, knowing our topic of discussion.

  “Was it the same?” Jen asks.

  “Yes. I see him pass and then I’m taken.” A lump forms in my throat.

  Jen places her hand on mine. “They may just be nightmares. Quinn is doing well. If he were going to die, he would have done it already.”

  Reassurance from her words threatens to soothe me, but I know something’s going to happen. Whether it’s all of or part of my dream, something is coming. “I hope you’re right.”

  Ian tucks one leg through the bench and straddles it. “What are you talking about that has you so worked up?”

  “Asking about Quinn. They said he’s on the mend. He should pull through.” A smile finds my lips.

  “That’s great,” he says loudly, bringing the rest of the group into our conversation.

  Michael nods, a smile finally touching him as well. “Yeah, it is. It was definitely touch and go there for a while.”

  “I take back all those times in college when I said you didn’t have it in you,” Ian jokes. “I’ve got to get back to the meat, before we’re eating Cajun.” He hops up from his seat, hustling over to flip our dinner.

  We’d eaten later than normal, so while Ian stayed behind to help with clean up, Azami and I head to the pool area to clean up. Once we finish, I lean down to pick her up, but pause when I hear a loud thump, the noise similar to that of someone falling, only skin to skin, and wet. Glancing around, attempting to figure out which room the noise is generating from, I pull Azami protectively behind me. Did the infected infiltrate us without our knowledge? When a quiet squeak of pain follows up the smack of flesh, I realize it’s directly in front of us, coming from Dane and Rosie’s room.

  Placing my pointer finger to my lips, I turn to Azami and make a motion to be quiet. She nods that she understands before I turn back around and take a couple steps forward. Their curtains are pulled tight to both sides of the door, and there’s relatively no sound coming from the room. I know they’re having issues in their relationship, so I don’t want to eavesdrop, but my gut’s telling me to investigate. My hand shakes as I pull the curtain aside, an electric force drawing me.

  Blood.

  Blood covering everything.

  Dane stands over his small wife, fists clenched, blood dripping from his knuckles. His entire form is heaving with deep erratic breaths. His clothing is covered in so much blood, it’s difficult to decipher the color. He stares at his motionless wife with such hatred that his body trembles. Prying my eyes from Dane, I glance at Rosie and flinch. Her face is unrecognizable, bones caved in. Blood covers every inch of her skin, matting her hair, as if a bucket of red paint was thrown on her and the room around her.

  Even though I block the view with my body, Azami begins to cry, sensing the scene through our connected hands.

  Dane whips around, eyes wild and unfocused.

  “Run!” I push Azami down the hall.

  She doesn’t hesitate, taking off as fast as her little legs can carry her. Dane focuses on the movement, stepping forward to follow. He’s about three times my size, but nothing will stop me from protecting what is mine. I sidestep, blocking his pursuit, placing myself in his direct path. His attention diverts back to me until Azami’s cries for help echo down the hall. He moves to follow her again, and a warning growl vibrates up my throat. I’m no longer the timid girl I once was, turning into a ferocious lioness protecting her cub.

  “Don’t even think about it.” Not even I recognize my own voice.

  I crouch down, set for an attack. Dane slowly moves into a fighting position, and that’s when I see the tell-tail signs creeping up his neck. Boils, red veins, and cracked yellow skin. He’s infected. A pang slices through my heart. Not Dane.

  Glancing at Rosie motionless on the mattress of their room, I ask, “Dane, what did you do?” My voice cracks.

  His looks at me confused, disoriented. He begins to shake his head back and forth, attempting to knock away the confusion. “What?”

  “What do you mean, what? Look what you did to her!” I scream, pointing to his wife.

  He turns to Rosie, startled by my words. He looks at her, and an ungodly sound of grief bellows from deep within his gut. A cry of mourning, before he drops to his knees next to her. “No!” he cries, grabbing and dragging her limp body onto his lap.

  “Dane, you need to back away from her now.”

  “No!” he cries again, not hearing my words.

  “She might make it. Please, let me take her out of here and to Michael,” I beg.

  “How could I have done this, lost so much control?” His senses seem to be returning for the moment, even if his question is rhetorical.

  “Dane…” I begin again, trying to convince him to let me have her.

  He drops her and spins on me so quickly, I lose my footing. He snags my shirt, preventing my fall, pulling me so close our faces almost touch. “I cannot be trusted,” he whispers. “I should’ve come to someone when I first noticed.” He closes his eyes, sorrow etching his features. “I’ve lost my mind. There are patches of time, days even, that I don’t recall. Voices are talking to me, telling me to do ungodly things…I should’ve left.” Tears slide down his cheeks. “I can’t put anyone else at risk. Look what I did to the one person I love the most in the world. If you hadn’t stopped me from going after Az, I would have done the same to her.”

  His words raise the hairs on the back of my neck, and tears begin to trickle out of my eyes. “We can find a way…” My words trail off, knowing it’s a lie.

  “Lil, you and I both know there is only one way out of this.” Dane pulls his gun from the back of his pants.

  My breath catches in my throat. My heart speeds up, like a train barreling down a dead end track. “Dane, please,” I plead.

  His voice is reserved, calm. “They’re coming for you, Lil. They’re talking to me, trying to get me to lead you to them. Don’t let them take you.” He glances over to Rosie, love and guilt clearly etched on his face before turning back to me. “Help her if you can. Please. For me.”

  A second later, he puts the gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger.

  The shot rings through my ears like the Liberty Bell. Wet, warm liquid sprays against my face and chest. Dane’s grip loosens, but doesn’t release. Instead, he drags me to the ground, pinning me underneath his lifeless body. Warm liquid runs down my neck, pooling beneath us, soaking my back and hair.

  My mouth opens in a silent scream, a cry for help. Help for Dane. Help for Rosie. Help for me. Pain courses through me—a living, palpable thing digging into every nerve. Not because I was shot, but because we were yet again losing someone we loved. The flash had already robbed us of almost everyone on the planet, and still it was a greedy bastard.

&nb
sp; Feet pound the ground, heading in our direction. My name’s shouted, echoing through the hollowed tunnel. I can’t find the strength to lift Dane off of me, his body draped like a wet soggy blanket across my body. Seconds later, the curtain is torn from the doorway. A collection of sharp breaths filled the air. They scan the room before coming to rest on me.

  “Lil?” Ian screams.

  I lose it. “Ian, get him off me!”

  James, Mason, and Michael all stand behind him. Michael and Mason move forward, pulling Dane off me with ease, while Ian engulfs me in his arms.

  Ian’s hand travels the length of my body several times, checking for injuries.

  “I’m fine.” Physically, there’s no harm done.

  He meets my eyes, holding them, asking a million questions. Instead of answering him, I ask. “Where’s Az?”

  “With Jen,” he mumbles, still running his fingers through my matted and bloody hair.

  “Really, I’m fine.” I move his hands to my lips and kiss them.

  “Motherfucker.”

  We watch as Michael hovers over Rosie, assessing her condition. He doesn’t bother checking Dane. He’d blown his brains onto my face and the wall, a pretty clear indicator that he was dead.

  “She’s alive, but barely,” he announces. “James, Mason, help me move her to the med room.”

  I’m shocked. Her face is practically nonexistent, yet she was living through it. I prayed she was unconscious, the pain probably excruciating.

  They pick her up as carefully as they can and carry her from the room, blood dripping behind them.

  Everything had happen so fast, it was only now catching up. Dane was infected. He was gone, dead, possibly taking Rosie with him. The utter pain that was etched in his eyes before he took his own life was something I’ll never forget. Another permanent reminder of our new lives.

  The last thought has me dropping to my knees and leaning over the once gentle giant who welcomed me and my daughter as if we were a part of his family, and I cry. I cry for him, for Rosie, for James and Azami, having to live in a life that does nothing but take. I cry for Ian, and for the rest of our cave family. Ian’s the one who found this place, but Dane built it up while Ian was away, searching for James.