The Tide: The Multiverse Wave

by H. J. Lawson

  I see Chen in the corner of the room: patient zero. She’s staring up at the ceiling, no tissue to her nose. A smear of dried blood is crusted around her nose, but the bleeding has stopped. Her eyes flicker, telling me that she’s still alive. Maybe the virus doesn’t kill everyone.

  The school nurse, Ms. Bucher, has a paper mask over her mouth and nose, but her skin tone tells me that she’s also got the virus. Must be the earlier stages, because her mask is still white, no trace of blood.

  “Paige, what do I do?” River asks, clearly unsure of how to take care of herself.

  “Are you infected?” A deep voice booms from behind me. I turn around to find a tall man in protective clothing. He has a full face mask on, unlike Ms. Bucher, with a plastic window in the front which reveals his face.

  “Wh-what?” I ask, taken by surprise.

  “Are you infected?” he repeats. Other people dressed like him walk past me into the nurse’s room.

  “No, no I’m not.” He glances as me, clearly trying to see if I have any signs of the virus.

  “Is your friend?” He nods at River beside me.

  “Yes.”

  “Then you better get out of here and back to your room before you become infected. I’ll take her from here.”

  “Where are you taking her?”

  “That’s classified information. If you stay in here, you will also be infected. If you’re not already.”

  “Is the virus really as bad as they say on the news?”

  He looks at River. Her face has once again settled into a blank stare, lost to the world. “Yes,” he says quietly.

  “Is there a cure?”

  “We’ve not be informed. If there was, these kids would be the first to know,” he says with an edge of envy in his tone. And he’s right, these are the kids of the most powerful people in the world. And who’s he? I bet he has a family that won’t get the type of special treatment these kids are used to having.

  One of the people in protective clothing is speaking to Ms. Butcher. She nods towards River, then turns to stare at me. Not the same blank stare as the other people with the virus—one of hope. These people are going to help them.

  I look around the nurse’s office again, taking a look at the friends I may never see again. That’s when I spot Alfie. He’s practically unconscious, with blood all over his white school uniform shirt. One of the men dressed in protective clothes is tending to him. Alfie looks at me, without the blank stare of the other kids in the room, and smiles at me, catching me off guard. He looks happy—is it because I’m not infected?

  “River, I have to go. These men will help you.” She nods, clearly understanding that I can’t risk becoming infected. “Can you promise to call me once you get better?”

  “You think I’ll get better?” River asks.

  “Yes,” I lie. The truth is, I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again and I can’t really deal with facing that right now. Although we come from different worlds, River is my best friend.

  I hug River goodbye; the guard looks at me like I’m a complete idiot. That’s because I am, but if my calculations are correct, which unfortunately for me they normally are, I already have the virus and it’s just a matter of time before the symptoms start to show.

  As I walk through the hallway, I think about the strange men in protective gear. It’s weird how fast they all got there. Although, the President’s kid does go to this school, so they were probably on call for any disaster that might strike.

  Chapter 4

  When I get back to the common room, there aren’t as many girls in it as when I left. Some girls are staring down at their phones, or jabbering away on them, I guess waiting for their security to come and get them. No one’s coming for me—I’m the one that’s got to rescue my family. The thought fills me with dread. I’ve always had to be the strong one in the family, but can I do this? What choice do I have? I’m their only chance.

  I get back to my room and recheck that I have everything in my backpack. I hear the sound of an engine outside and look through the window, hoping that it’s Willow’s bus. But it’s not. Alfie is on a stretcher, being loaded into one of the empty school buses. His pale white face looks up at me, still smiling. How can he still look so damn good when he’s so close to death! Only Alfie can pull off the deathbed look. For a moment I pretend this is just Halloween, and everyone is dressed up like ghosts.

  That moment of fantasy is quickly stolen from me—the next stretcher has River on it. Her arm is dangling off the stretcher and it looks like she’s moaning. She’s in pain. I put my hand on the window, hoping she can feel that I’m close by, to ease her pain.

  Where are they taking them? I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again, and that idea hangs over me like a dark cloud.

  I look over the room and can’t help but feel sad about leaving. I don’t know if I’ll ever see this place again. I once felt so safe; even my mom thought I was safe here. I get why she wanted me to be safe. I wanted that as well.

  I grew up being scared of the shadows in the night. That was partly down to my mom telling me it was the shadows that took Brooke, and before that, all the nights she kept us hidden away from the shadows, ironically in the darkest, smallest place she could find. She either locked us in the basement or my most hated place, the wardrobe in her bedroom. She would lock me and Willow in there all night. I’m still scared of the dark.

  As always, my safe place is ripped away from me. After one last glance, I shut my dorm room behind me along with all the memories from the years of being a normal kid.

  Now, I’m only focused on one thing, and that’s getting my sister and Mom. With my backpack securely on, I head back out to the common room one last time.

  One of the girls I don’t know stops me. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m getting out of here.”

  “But you’re not allowed to leave the premises unless you have someone getting you.” Another girl with big glasses and a mousy voice joins in. They look alike, so I’m guessing they are sisters.

  “Yeah, well, I’m not going to just wait around to catch whatever this thing is. We don’t know anything about it, but I would rather not have to get sick to find out what’s going on.”

  Both of them look at me as if they agree but are too scared to take the risk. Personally, I hope they don’t say they want to come with me. I can’t afford to watch out for two more people on top of Willow and my mom.

  “Where are you going?” the first girl asks.

  “And how are you getting there?” the second one adds.

  I haven’t really thought that far ahead.

  “There’s no cab service.” The first one again. “And besides, the government said to remain indoors. How are you going to slip by them?”

  I give an impatient sigh and try to keep being polite. “Well, if they want to stop me they can try. I’ll figure it out as I go. Good luck.”

  I don’t have time to go back and forth with these girls; I have to take action. I have no idea what I’m doing but I gotta get going.

  In the hallway no one stops me to question if I’m infected or not. At this point it’s pretty obvious who is and who isn’t. I make my way out the back door and into the school parking lot. Getting out went a lot easier than I thought it would, but I’m sure everyone has a lot more to worry about than kids trying to leave the campus.

  There’s a bike rack full of bikes; I could ride to the train station in the next town, but that would take forever.

  I glance over at the teachers’ cars—that’s going to be my best hope. Well, it would be if I’d had a driving lesson before. I’ve never had a single one. Zero, nada, nothing. I’m going to have to teach myself. Obviously I’ve been in loads of cars, so I just need to remember how they did it.

  Half of the cars in the parking lot are already gone—clearly a handful of teachers got out of here as soon as they could. The only ones left are the teachers who chose to stay and help over going home to the
ir families. There are some really special people that work here, and now I feel bad that I’m about to take one of their cars.

  I spot Ms. Butcher’s car, a gray Toyota Prius. Well I hope it’s hers; to be honest it’s hard to tell since a few other teachers also have a gray Prius. You’d think it only came in gray as everyone has that color.

  The reason I want Ms. Butcher’s car is because she was on the school bus with the sick kids. She’s got a ride so if I borrow hers I’m not stranding her. I try the driver’s-side door and it opens. Of course there isn’t much to fear here, especially thieves, since we’re in the middle of nowhere in the most secure place in the world.

  Now for the keys. I open the sun visor like they do in almost every movie I’ve seen where a car is stolen.

  The keys aren’t there—instead it contains two prayer cards. One has an image of a priest holding a cross up to the sun, with beams of sunlight shining on the cross. People bow at his feet. I flip it over and read, ‘What does it profit a man if he gains the world and suffers the loss of his soul?’ Basically, if you give up your soul, you save the world. I rub the edge of the card, playing with it between my fingers. I would give up my life to save my sister. I just don’t plan on having to.

  The next card is one of a guardian angel watching over two children, guiding them to safe passage. I’ll be Willow’s guardian angel. I stow it in my jacket pocket and decide to read the back when—if—I get a chance.

  Now I need to work out how to get the car working. YouTube is the next best option after a key. I just hope it still works—it should do since my phone is still functioning. I search how to hotwire a car. A two-minute video pops up and by the end of it I am reaching under the steering wheel to pull out the wires. Methodically I begin to hotwire the car.

  It turns on. Looks like my guardian angel is looking down on me, yeah right.

  I slowly go in reverse, trying to remember every detail of every driver I’ve seen. I pull out of the parking lot and am on the road leading out of the school. Rosary beads dance over the mirror as I watch my school shrinking behind me. My past stays with it and I keep going forward, to a future I never imagined would be my own.

  About the authors

  Chapter 1 – TJ Ryan is a Canadian author, born on the rainy West Coast (or is that Wet Coast?) of British Columbia. He spent his early years traveling the world, obsessing over new cultures and culinary experiences. Preferring spaceships to airplanes, he has now settled into his little slice of rainforest paradise, escaping reality through Science Fiction.

  More books by TJ Ryan available online > Amazon.

  Chapter 2 - R. Brady Frost spent his early years surrounded by tomatoes, giant zucchini, and

  countless animals and critters. After discovering an innate love for science and technology, he stuck a magnet into an electrical outlet on an Air Force base but didn’t gain superpowers. Instead, he began dismantling the family’s broken electronics, which spread into taking apart functioning appliances. Before anyone could stop him, he was piecing together his Frankenstein robot army. This resulted in more than a few popped fuses but, according to official records, caused no lasting damage.

  You can find him at www.rbradyfrost.com and his Creative Writing Podcast.

  More books by R. Brady Frost available online > Amazon.

  Chapter 3 – Michael Anderle (ok, weird talking about myself in the 3rd person) (1967-Hopefully a long time from NOW) was born in Houston, Tx. A very curious child, he got into trouble - a lot. What to do with an inquisitive mind when he was grounded? Read! Ok, done with all of that 3rd person stuff.

  In the first 20 years, I mostly read Science Fiction and Fantasy. In the past decade, I have enjoyed Urban Fantasy and Military Fiction. With this background, I've been blessed with creating The Kurtherian Gambit series, a well-selling, and fan loved, a collection of stories.

  The fans have propelled these stories beyond my wildest imagination, and they should get all of the credit for sharing with friends, family and occasionally the random person on the street. They are fantastic!

  More books by Michael Anderle available online > Amazon

  Chapter 4 – Emma Right is a multiple Award-Winning and Amazon Best-Selling author of several children and young adult novels. A homeschooling mom of five she believes that all children can reach and excel in their God-given potential with the right learning style and she has a passion for equipping them. An avid reader she consumes at least one novel a week--if not more--reading late into the night, eyes tearing. She believes fiction that’s fun to read can still be wholesome. And she detests profanity, especially in children’s books.

  In a past life, before children came along, she was a copywriter for two major advertising agencies and has won awards such as the prestigious Clio Awards and the British D & AD.

  Follow her on her Facebook author page, (Emma Right author) and head to EmmaRight.com to sign up for a free starter library for kids of all ages.

  More books by Emma Right available online > Amazon.

  Chapter 5 – Adam Kayce writes fiction that delves deeply into the truth of the human condition. Awed by the transformative power of story, Adam believes the best stories are the ones that leave you better having read them. You can follow Adam's journey at http://adamkayce.com.

  Chapter 6 – Sabrina Sable has been dreaming up stories for as long as she can remember. Specialties include flawed yet lovable characters, steamy scenes, and many twists and turns to keep you from getting distracted. At heart is always a couple that can't resist the forces that bind them.

  Keep a close eye on this one because there's more in the pipeline coming from Sabrina. Find her Facebook author page to get info on new releases and other exciting news!

  More books by Sabrina Sable available online > Amazon.

  Chapter 7 – Justin Sloan writes urban fantasy, epic military fantasy, and supernatural thrillers. He is a video game writer (Game of Thrones; Walking Dead; Michonne, Minecraft: Story Mode), novelist (Allie Strom and the Ring of Solomon; Teddy Bears in Monsterland, Back by Sunrise, Falls of Redemption), podcaster, and screenwriter.

  He has written on taking writing from hobby to career in his book Creative Writing Career and its sequel, and how veterans can pursue their passions in Military Veterans in Creative Careers. Justin studied writing at the Johns Hopkins University and UCLA after five years in the U.S. Marine Corps and now works as a writer and editor for Military.com. www.JustinSloanAuthor.com

  More books by Justin Sloan available online > Amazon.

  Chapter 8 – Martha Carr is the author of five books including the upcoming suspense action thrillers, The Wallis Jones series, to be released this December. Martha has written a weekly, nationally-syndicated column on world affairs and life that has run on such political hotspots as The Moderate Voice.com and Politicus.com. Her work has run regularly in such venerable publications as The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune and Newsweek. www.MarthaCarr.com Find Martha on Facebook.

  More books by Martha Carr available online > Amazon.

  Chapter 9 – Sarah Dalton grew up in the middle of nowhere in the countryside of Derbyshire and as a result has an over-active imagination. She has been an avid reader for most of her life, taking inspiration from the stories she read as a child, and the novels she devoured as an adult.

  Sarah has had pieces of short fiction published in the Medulla Literary Review, PANK magazine, and the British Fantasy Society publication Dark Horizons.

  Sarah's debut novel The Blemished is a fast-paced young adult dystopia set in a fractured Britain. It follows the events of Mina Hart, a young Blemished girl who has a dangerous secret, as she tries to escape the dreaded Operation and get out of Area 14. She is also the author of the Amazon bestselling YA horror series Mary Hades.

  More books by Sarah Dalton available online > Amazon.

  Chapter 10 – J.L. Hendricks is a new independent author. The Original Eclipse Series was
her first published series. Her latest series, Alpha Alien Abduction Tale, is a PG-13 version of the hot Alien Sci-Fi Adventure/Romance genre! She thought it might be fun to write in that world while still keeping it mostly clean for everyone to read. Because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good alien abduction story?

  She is very proud to have served in the US Army before she went to college. She decided to finally write, and finish a book, this year because of a few friends who encouraged her to do so. She hopes her stories entertain you and can bring a laugh on occasion.

  Actually, it was her roommate's cat who talked her into staying at home to be her minion all day long! Pyper actually believes that J.L. is here to serve her alone, and to feed her whenever she graces J.L. with her presence.

  More books by J.L Hendricks available online > Amazon.

  Chapter 11 – Craig Martelle Visit Craig's webpage, craigmartelle.com for the latest posts and updates or find him on Facebook, Author Craig Martelle. Send an email to craig@craigmartelle.com to join his mailing list for the latest on new releases, information on old releases, and anything related to his books.

  Craig is a successful author, who has been compared to Andre Norton, David Gemmell, and Larry Niven. He’s taken his more than twenty years of experience in the Marine Corps, his legal education, and his business consulting career to write believable characters living in realistic worlds.

  Although Craig has written in multiple genres, what he believes most compelling are in-depth characters dealing with real-world issues. Life lessons of a great story can be applied now or fifty years in the future. Some things are universal.

  Craig believes that evil exists. Some people are driven differently and cannot be allowed access to our world. Good people will rise to the occasion. Good will always challenge evil, sometimes before a crisis, many times after, but will good triumph?