Origins (The Becoming Book 6)

by Jessica Meigs

  Theo grabbed a couple of packages of ramen noodles and looked around for a pan, got the noodles boiling on the stove, and while he emptied the cabinets of any food available, the kitchen door squeaked behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Gray standing in the kitchen doorway, the mask still on his face and the oxygen tank in his hand. Theo noted how much better his color looked.

  “You okay?” he asked. Gray nodded and set the tank on the counter beside him. “I think you’ll be okay to take the mask off now. You look a hell of a lot better than you did a while ago. I still want you to take it easy, though. No need to push for a relapse.”

  Gray pulled the mask off, dropping it onto the counter by the tank with a sigh. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice still hoarse.

  “Making us something to eat.” Theo snagged a fork from the dish drainer by the sink and stirred the noodles. “Figure it won’t do us any good to starve to death while waiting on everything to calm down outside. Besides, I didn’t get the chance to eat my dinner before the…before the whole mess with the ambulance.”

  Gray took one of the chairs at the two-seater dining table, spinning it around to sit in it backwards. He looked at Theo, the reluctance in his eyes visible. “Didn’t you have a partner?” he asked. “Like, the guy who drove your ambulance for you?”

  “Yeah,” Theo said. He didn’t want to talk about this. Not even with Gray. The snap of the gunshot was still audible in his ears. He turned his back on his brother and stirred the noodles again, lifting some with a fork to see how done they were.

  “Where did he go?”

  Theo sighed and turned off the stove, reaching for the flavoring packets. “He’s dead,” he said. “Got shot in the head.”

  “Jesus, I’m sorry,” Gray said. “What…what’s the plan, Theo? What are we going to do?”

  “I want to get us to Mom and Dad’s,” Theo said. “I don’t want to wait around too long. Things might get even worse the more time passes, you know? They have the TV and Internet, and those generators that Dad bought after the hurricanes. A heck of a lot more supplies, too.” He stirred the flavor packets in. “I’ve also got a couple of stops I need to make before we get out there too.”

  Gray seemed to get more animated at the prospect of doing something proactive. “So when do we leave?”

  Theo spooned the hot noodles into two bowls before he answered. “As soon as possible.”

  Chapter 11

  Shivering, Gray followed Theo out of his apartment the next morning. He’d found another jacket before they’d left the apartment, and he wrapped it tighter around himself, looking down the street warily. The morning still hadn’t fully dawned yet, and the street was cast in a haze that left a bluish tint over everything. The air smelled damp and smoky. Gray gripped the crowbar Theo had given him in his right hand. He didn’t like being outside, not even with his brother’s company. It felt too dangerous, like someone was watching every move they made. He could practically feel eyes on his back, drilling between his shoulder blades. He fought off the chill from the cool February air, hurrying to catch up with Theo, who’d begun to walk down the street at a brisk pace.

  “Where are we heading again?” Gray asked, matching his pace to Theo’s and silently hoping he could keep up.

  “Did you not listen to a word I said this morning?” Theo asked with thinly veiled annoyance.

  “Actually, no. I was busy eating my breakfast.”

  “We’re heading for the ambulance base,” Theo said. His eyes darted around in a manner that, at any other time, would have struck Gray as paranoid. As it was, he was sure his own eyes were doing the same thing. “My car is parked there. We need to get it so we can make it to the house.” He seemed like he was leaving something out, his tone hinting at an evasiveness that meant he was probably up to something. Gray chose to not point it out.

  “We could walk to the house,” he suggested. He wasn’t keen on the idea of going deeper into the hostile city just to pick up Theo’s car. Especially since there were so many other options around them. “I can make it.”

  “I’d rather we not risk it,” Theo replied. “I only have so much albuterol and O2, and I want to save it for an emergency.” He cast a sidelong glance in Gray’s direction, and Gray shifted uncomfortably under his brother’s scrutiny. “That said, we do need to get you some inhalers, don’t we?”

  “Where do you propose we get some of those?” Gray asked. “It’s not like we can just walk into a pharmacy and get a prescription filled.”

  “True, but we can just walk into a pharmacy,” Theo said. “Nobody said a pharmacist has to be there.”

  “Isn’t that breaking and entering?” Gray asked, looking Theo over. His brother had never struck him as the type to advocate illegal activities, and now there he was, proposing that they break into a pharmacy to steal asthma inhalers. Wonders never ceased.

  “Oh, come off it, Gray,” Theo said with a stubborn lilt. “You should know by this point that I’d do whatever it took to keep you breathing. Besides, it’s not like we’re going to get arrested for it. The police, I imagine, have more important things to deal with right now. If the police are still functioning.”

  “If that’s the case, then why don’t we just take one of these cars?” Gray asked, waving his hand at the street around them. “It’d be better than walking all the way to the ambulance base for yours. I could hotwire one and get us moving out of here a hell of a lot faster.”

  Theo looked at him with undisguised curiosity. “You know how to hotwire a car?”

  “Damn straight,” Gray said with a laugh. “It’s one of the first things I learned how to do to a car.”

  They walked silently while Theo thought his words over. Gray glanced back and forth between his brother and the street around them. He was starting to feel antsy; he wished Theo would hurry up and make up his mind so they could get someplace other than the street. He didn’t like the looks of anything around them.

  “You haven’t ever actually, you know, stolen a car before or anything, have you?” Theo asked.

  “No, of course not!” Gray protested. “Do I look like the type of person who’d run around stealing—” He caught sight of movement in the corner of his eye. He tensed, grabbing Theo’s forearm to bring him to a stop. “Did you see that?”

  “See what?” Theo asked. He tugged his arm free from Gray’s hand and moved to stand in front of him protectively, much to Gray’s annoyance. If Gray hadn’t known better, he’d have thought that Theo believed he couldn’t take care of himself.

  “I saw something moving over there,” Gray answered. He pointed toward the coffee shop across the street; the shop itself was dark, the front windows broken and glass littering the sidewalk and street. “I don’t know what it was, though.” He shuddered. “Not sure I liked the way it was moving, either.”

  “What do you mean?” Theo asked. He lifted the axe in his hands, and Gray could see him grinding his palms against the wooden handle.

  “I don’t know how to describe it,” Gray said. “He was moving sort of…I don’t know, jerky? Like he didn’t know how to walk right. Like he was hurt or something.”

  Theo suddenly looked more alert. “Hurt? Think maybe they need help?”

  “I vote we keep moving,” Gray said. Something about the whole situation, something about the way the figure had moved…it made him uneasy. He snagged Theo’s arm and pulled at it. “Come on, let’s just go. Don’t even worry about whoever it was. Every man for himself and all that shit, you know?”

  Theo wavered between moving on like Gray had suggested and going with his nature and tracking down the possibly injured man and helping him. He tugged his arm out of Gray’s hand again. “Okay, fine, you’re right. We should just get moving like you said. We don’t have time to worry about anyone else right now. We’ve got our own safety to deal with.”

  No sooner had the words left Theo’s mouth than something darted across the street and slammed into him, driving
him to the sidewalk. He grunted when he impacted with the concrete, his bag crunching under him. He instinctively put his hands out, trying to block the attack. Gray grabbed for the man, gripping his jacket in both hands and dragging him off his brother. He twisted, swinging the man around and sending him staggering into the side of a car parked at the curb.

  The man regained his balance awkwardly, standing on a leg that was obviously broken. He whirled around to face Gray, and Gray recoiled at the look on the man’s face, a horrifying mixture of hate and hunger, a predatory look. Just like the look April had given him. Gray sucked in a breath and lifted the crowbar, holding it as if it were a baseball bat. He heard the scuff of Theo’s shoes against the sidewalk, but he didn’t look back.

  “Stay back!” Theo commanded as he regained his feet. He moved up to join Gray, axe in hand. “Stay back, you hear me?”

  Gray eyed their attacker, studying him closely, trying to guess what his next move would be. “He’s not listening. I’m not sure he’s capable of listening.”

  “Yeah, I know your zombie theory,” Theo said. “Should we run?”

  “He’ll just follow us,” Gray pointed out. The man took a step toward them, and Gray used the crowbar to shove him back again, holding him at bay. It proved difficult, though, on the level of trying to herd cats. The absurd thought nearly made Gray laugh. “You know what we’re going to have to do, right?”

  “I’m trying to not think about it.”

  The man took a shuffling step forward, pushing past Gray’s crowbar and easing toward him. “I think it might be a moot point anyway,” he said. He adjusted his balance before swinging out with the crowbar, slamming the curved side of the crowbar’s hook into the side of the man’s head. The man’s temple gave with a crunch, and he collapsed against the car. Despite the deep indentation in the side of his head, a blow that would have killed or at the very least incapacitated any other human being, he was up and coming after them again immediately.

  “Jesus!” Theo gasped. His hand closed into Gray’s jacket and dragged him back. “Jesus, why didn’t that kill him? It should have killed him!”

  “I told you!” Gray crowed, waving the crowbar at their attacker. “I told you they were fucking zombies, man!”

  Theo shoved Gray aside. Gray caught himself against a light pole and watched in horrified fascination as Theo swung the axe into their attacker’s forehead. The crunch of bone sent a chill of disgust up Gray’s spine. He shuddered and took a step away from the curb. The man was still standing, held up only by the axe embedded in his skull, still gripped in Theo’s hands.

  Theo stood in wide-eyed shock, staring at the man in front of him. Gray could see fine tremors running through Theo’s shoulders, and he gently pressed a hand against his brother’s bicep. “Let’s get out of here,” he said. “We’ve got to find a car. The ambulance base and the pharmacy, remember?”

  Theo tightened his grip on the axe, wrenching it free from the man’s skull. Blood and bits of flesh splattered against one of Theo’s boots when the man fell to the pavement. Gray stretched out a leg and gingerly nudged the body with the toe of his shoe, testing to see if he was, in fact, dead. Once he was satisfied that the man would remain motionless, Gray looked at Theo again.

  “Let’s go,” Theo said. “I think we should definitely use your hotwiring plan. I suddenly don’t feel like walking all the way to the base anymore.”

  Gray looked the street over, scanning the cars. He could practically feel Theo shaking beside him, despite the several inches of distance between them. “How about that one?” he suggested, pointing out a Toyota Camry parked against the opposite curb. “I think I could maybe get its engine going.”

  “Whatever you think you can handle,” Theo said. Gray glanced at him and frowned. Theo too was looking at the street around them, clutching the axe in his right hand as if nothing had happened, as if some stranger’s blood and brain matter weren’t dripping from the blade to add to the splatter already on his utility boots and the concrete. Gray was unsure what to say to Theo. It was probably better to let it rest and let Theo bring up what was on his mind on his own time. They didn’t have time for ruminations in the street right now.

  Rolling his head from side to side to loosen the muscles in his neck, Gray glanced both ways down the street before venturing into it cautiously. When nothing happened, he sped up, aiming for the Camry and pulling on the driver’s side door handle as soon as he reached it. His shoulders sagged in relief when it opened, and he slid into the car and looked up at Theo. “You going to keep guard for me?” he asked, though he already knew the answer.

  “Of course,” Theo answered. “What do you think I am, an idiot?”

  Gray cracked a smile at the old joke. “Well…” he said, trailing off in his customary response.

  Theo made a face at him and swatted at his head. Gray ducked the blow and bit back a laugh before digging into the backpack he wore. He fished out the tools he would need and, with one last glance at Theo, got to work.

  Chapter 12

  Gray got the Camry’s engine running in short order, and watching him work was like magic to Theo. His brother had pulled a flathead screwdriver from his bag, ripped out the panel beneath the steering wheel, did something fancy with some wiring inside it, and less than five minutes later, the engine roared to life.

  Theo kept forgetting how skilled Gray was at everything relating to cars. Sometimes, it was scary how much he knew.

  “Ready to roll?” Gray asked. His wide-eyed, excited look struck Theo as remarkably similar to one a child would have given his mother as he presented her with a wart-covered toad. He bit back a chuckle at the mental image and nodded, circling the car to the passenger side.

  “Yeah, but you’re driving,” Theo said. “I don’t think I can focus enough right now.” He slung his bag onto the back seat and set the bloody axe on the floorboard. He slid into his seat, buckled his seatbelt, and hit the power-lock button. When Gray gave him an odd look, he said, “Can’t be too careful, can you?”

  “True,” Gray conceded. He put the car in drive and tapped the gas to roll it off the curb.

  “Head for the base,” Theo instructed. “I’ve got a few things I need to pick up.” Like Dillon.

  Gray coasted the car into the street, his eyes flickering over everything around them. “Thank God we live in such a small town, you know? Lower population, which means fewer crazy people and less chance we’ll end up getting killed. Theoretically.”

  “Yeah,” Theo said softly. He watched the downtown area roll by out the window, propping his elbow against the edge of the door and resting his head on his hand. He wasn’t really thinking about the rest of Plantersville. Truth be told, he didn’t care about the rest of Plantersville. He only cared about two people in it: Dillon Roberts and Gray. And, of course, himself. He was aware that sounded incredibly selfish, even to his own ears, but he didn’t care about that, either. His brother and Dillon were all he had left that he cared about, and he refused to allow anything to happen to either of them.

  Beside him, Gray was chattering on about road congestion and what they were going to do when they got to the ambulance base. Theo nodded noncommittally whenever it seemed appropriate, but he didn’t focus on Gray’s words. He couldn’t. There was too much on his mind at the moment, too much weighing heavily on his conscience for him to worry about whatever Gray was nattering on about.

  In the past twenty-four hours, he had committed murder not just once, but twice. It was an action so against his nature, so against his impulse to help people, not hurt them, that he couldn’t reconcile it with what he knew of himself. He kept trying to tell himself that it had been necessary, that it would continue to be necessary in order to protect himself, Gray, and Dillon. But he just couldn’t get past the mental horror. He could still smell the metallic tang of blood from the latest victim.

  “Hey, are you even listening to me?” Gray’s voice broke into the haze of Theo’s thoughts. Theo look
ed to his left, where Gray was repeatedly glancing between the windshield and him. When he didn’t answer right away, his brain still trying to catch up, Gray asked, “Theo? You okay?”

  Theo cleared his throat. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Just…thinking is all.” He shook his head, trying to rattle the thoughts in his mind loose, and then forced himself to focus on his brother. “What’s up?”

  Gray glanced at him several more times. He was sure if they weren’t in a moving vehicle, Gray would have been staring at him as if he could read his mind. The thought of Gray being able to do so was, frankly, terrifying, especially considering all that his brother didn’t know about him and his personal life.

  “I was just asking,” Gray began, “do you think this craziness is happening just in Plantersville? Or do you think it’s everywhere?”

  Theo studied the horizon. He wasn’t sure for what he was searching. Smoke? Explosions? A red haze in the air to indicate some form of biological attack? Alien invasion? He had no idea.

  “Theo?”

  “Sorry, I was thinking.” He rubbed a hand over his hair and sighed, letting the breath out slowly. “Honestly, I don’t want to speculate,” he said. “Best case scenario, it’s just here. Then the National Guard can come in and help evacuate people who haven’t gotten sick or whatever it is causing all of this…crazy shit.”

  “But what if it’s, like, worldwide or something?” Gray asked.

  “I don’t know,” Theo said. “I’m not sure what would happen then. Probably a total breakdown of civilization.”

  “What kind of breakdown?”

  “Sort of like what we’re already seeing.” Theo turned in his seat to face Gray, resting his back against the door. “Do you remember all that stuff we saw on TV back when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans? All the lootings and shootings and the lack of food and water and all that?” Gray nodded. “It would be a lot like that. Maybe even worse, since it’d be everywhere and not just confined to one city.”