Infection Series (Book 1): Preservation

by Nelson, S. L.

  “Please help yourselves. We usually have warm food but this late at night we only have what is available in the coolers.” Dr. Hollowman offered.

  Ian raced forward, not shy about grabbing as much as he could carry, then heading to a table by himself.

  Slowly, everyone else fanned out, searching for anything that would trigger his or her appetite. Veronica, Bethann, and Dana followed Matt and Colby, making suggestions and piling up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, and juice in their arms. Cody, Jake, and Caleb searched through coolers, each settling on large sub sandwiches. Lucas, having spent some time in a commercial kitchen, went into the prep area, opened up the large commercial refrigerators and searched through the contents. Finding large containers of chili and chicken noodle soup, he emptied the containers into two separate soup pots and set them to warm on the gas stoves. Lucas gathered several sets of bowls with soup spoons and a box of saltine crackers and headed out to the tables.

  Dr. Hollowman found it interesting that every member but the man in the back made an effort to sit together. They even went so far as to grab more chairs from other tables and squished in to eat together.

  “I found soup in the fridge back there. I am heating up chili and chicken noodle.” Lucas said dropping the box of crackers on the table and handing out bowls and spoons.

  “Oh man, that sounds great!” Cody responded as he grabbed the box of crackers from Lucas, peeling back the tape that sealed the box. “What do you guys think? Can you suck down a bowl of chicken noodle?” He said smiling at Colby and Matt.

  Colby took his bowl and spoon, “Yeah, I think that would be good. What do you say Matt?”

  Matt looked at Colby then at Cody, taking his time answering, “I’d rather have the chili.” The frank answer got everyone laughing, lightening the mood for just a moment.

  Lucas ruffled Matt’s hair, “You got it bud,” then walked back into the kitchen to retrieve the hot soups.

  Dr. Hollowman let everyone eat, knowing that they needed the time as well as fuel for the discussion to come. She watched as the big guy filled bowls and passed them back. Admired as the three women cared for the young boys. All of them sharing sandwiches and touching shoulders and arms to reassure each other that everything is ok for the moment. She even let out a little laugh as the older of the two boys stole a cookie from the tall dark haired man, who then filched the bag of chips from Bethany’s daughter. Either they all knew each other well or the events of the night forged a bond that would not be broken, even if it is to eat.

  Dr. Hollowman watched as the loner walked toward her, leaving a large mess at the table he sat at. He would have been considered good looking if it weren’t for the cruelty etched all over his face. The simile he offered didn’t even reach his eyes.

  “Hello, I’m Ian. Thank you for the food. I would like to lay down now. I do not have anything to offer you.” Ian stood with his arms crossed, feet shoulder width apart.

  Dr. Hollowman glanced around him and caught Veronica’s eyes. Veronica waved her hand, as if to shoo away a fly.

  “Ok, Ian. I’ll ask Dennis to show you the way to the employee sleep quarters.” Dr. Hollowman motioned to Dennis, and then asked him to show him a cot. She watched as Ian followed Dennis out of the room, not even bothering to say anything to anyone else.

  Dr. Hollowman watched as everyone helped each other clean, still cracking jokes. Veronica was the only one to watch Ian’s progress out the door. Once he was gone, Veronica made her way to Dr. Hollowman.

  “Thank you for the food and providing a place to stay. I know that you would like to discuss what we know,” Veronica looked down at her phone, “But it is already 11:30 pm and we are very tired. Can we pick this up in the morning?”

  Dr. Hollowman could see the weight of expelled adrenaline in the movement of everyone, “I know you are all tired but I just need to know anything that you believe is really important right now.”

  Veronica nodded her head in understanding. She turned to look back at the tired group behind her. “Cody? Would you please tell Dr. Hollowman what we talked about with Caleb?”

  Cody motioned for Samuel, asking if he would take the rest of the group to get some rest while he and Veronica discussed their journey with Dr. Hollowman. Veronica watched as they followed Samuel, waving at Bethann to let her know that she is fine and will be there in a moment. Cody pushed in the last of the cafeteria chairs and made his way to Dr. Hollowman’s table.

  “Dr. Hollowman just wants to know what we figured out about the infected.” Veronica supplied.

  Cody pulled a chair out for Veronica and himself. Taking a deep breath, Cody outlined the details the best he could. “Peter looked like he was coming down with the flu. He was fine up until we got to the movie theater. That was just before 5pm, must have been about 6 o’clock when we went out to the lobby and saw what Pete had turned into. I don’t know when the first couple of people were bit but they did attack shortly after we entered the lobby.”

  Cody paused for a moment, remembering Peter as he was before all of this mess started. Rubbing his hands over his face and through his hair he continued, “Noise draws their attention. We ran into trouble outside of the theater when Ian started yelling. They are fastest and strongest right after they become infected, as long as all of their body parts are still attached.”

  Veronica grimaced and recalled the state of Matt and Colby’s father as he struggled to reach them. Then remembered the behavior of the infected police officer, “They screech. It is a horrible sound but we think it is a way to communicate. A ‘here’s food’ kind of thing.” Veronica interjected.

  Cody nodded his head in agreement, “I guess their vision is less than a quarter mile and they also use smell.” Cody described the movement of the small group of infected that were making their way down the newly constructed road.

  Dr. Hollowman bowed her head, “I am familiar with that motion, lifting the head in the air. I’ve seen it.”

  Veronica and Cody glanced at each other, “On the television? Did news crew get that close?”

  Dr. Hollowman didn’t want to tell them about Dr. Allen just yet so she lied, “The camera was able to zoom in pretty close. I could see the movement but didn’t connect the dots until just now.”

  Cody looked at Veronica, silently questioning if there was anything else she wanted to add. Veronica shook her head, indicating that she had nothing to add.

  “Well, if you don’t mind Dr. Hollowman, we would like to grab a few hours sleep.” Cody straightened from his chair and held a hand out to Veronica.

  “Of course, I’ll show you the way.” Dr. Hollowman responded, moving to lead them toward the sleeping quarters.

  Veronica followed Dr. Hollowman down a hall with Cody still holding her hand. It was reassuring and a bit overwhelming. They met under extremely strenuous circumstances and to have someone care for her so quickly was jarring. She had to admit that she was having the same feelings, glad that Cody wasn’t afraid to express himself openly. It was quiet, most of the labs were dark, a few had blinking lights from computers still monitoring data. Veronica pointed out the maps and exits to Cody, knowing that they were on the same page. They could hear the soft murmur of Jake as they entered the room.

  The room was illuminated by the lights from the hallway, offering her a gentle view of the people before her. Veronica’s heart was in her throat as she watched Jake comfort the boys as they cried in their sleep. Jake had made a makeshift bed on the floor and was laying in the middle of Matt and Colby, an arm around each boy. She watched as Bethann reached out to first brush a hand through Matt’s hair then caress the side of Jake's face. Again, she was taken by surprise by the tender look that passed between her best friend and Jake.

  “There are bathrooms to the right. They have everything you will need if you would like to shower.” Dr. Hollowman offered, “There are scrubs to change into and a washer and dryer if that helps.”

  Dr. Hollowman then nodded her
goodbye and headed back toward the cafeteria.

  Everyone else appeared to be sleeping. Veronica decided to take the offer of a shower and clean up. She wanted to be ready first thing in the morning. Smiling she pulled her hand from Cody and made her way to the side of Bethann’s cot.

  “Hey, how are you doing?” she asked, getting down on a knee so she wouldn’t soil the bedding.

  Bethann didn’t smile and Veronica could see the exhaustion in her eyes, “We’re ok, the boys will be fine. We just need some rest to recoup and a plan for tomorrow.” Bethann replied.

  Veronica noted that both Bethann and Jake were in scrubs but they boys were still in their clothes, “They didn’t have anything small enough for the boys?” Veronica asked.

  Jake responded, “They passed out as soon as I got the blankets on the ground. We thought it best that they got rest. We will have plenty of time in the morning for them to clean up. Everyone else took a turn in the showers. We waited to start the laundry, thought that the two of you would be interested in cleaning up.”

  Cody had bent down on the other side of Jake to offer a comforting touch to Colby as he struggled in his sleep. “We need to make sure these boys are alright.” Cody stated, looking at Jake, Bethann, and Veronica. “Not just safe but able to function properly, to work through the horror of what is going on.”

  “We’ll help, all of us.” Dana whispers from her cot next to Colby.

  Cody turned to see that not only was Dana up but Lucas and Caleb as well. Each nodding at Dana’s words.

  “I don’t have much training with psychological trauma but I think we can all help each other.” Lucas said, reaching a hand out to squeeze Dana’s shoulder.

  Cody felt grateful that he found himself in such a strong group. None of them are crying and carrying on, too traumatized after the events of this evening.

  “Alright, thanks. You all should get some rest. I’m going to get cleaned up too.” Cody responded as he climbed back to his feet.

  “Me too,” Veronica said as she got up off of the floor, giving Bethann a shove when she started making kissing noises. “Stop it, get some sleep. We’ll regroup in the morning.” Veronica walked toward the bathrooms with Cody by her side.

  Chapter 20

  Cindy didn’t want to leave but she had to get to headquarters and warn the State Patrol about the contagious outbreak, if they didn’t know already. Cindy slipped her arms into Jake’s sweatshirt, rolling up the sleeves to expose her hands. Pulling the strap of the crossbow over her head, she adjusted the buckle to make sure it fit snug against her back. Cindy then hoisted quiver of bows on her shoulder and started out at a steady jog. It was difficult to hold on to the arrows and the bow, and keep her gun ready as she jogged down the street. Cindy was just two blocks from her own apartment building when the stench of infection caught her attention. She stopped and crouched down by a parked car, unsure of what direction it was coming from. She knew it was dangerous to come this way but figured that time was more important and since she was by herself, she would have a better chance of slipping through unnoticed. Cindy pulled her weapon up, taking aim, but remembered what Cody said about noise attracting more. Quickly, she put her gun back into her ankle holster and readied the crossbow. Waiting a few minutes before making her way to the next car, she reached the end of the block when she heard a screech let out behind her. Cindy whipped around and found a young man, early twenties crouched and ready to attack.

  “How in the hell did you sneak up on me?” Cindy muttered

  The man snarled and set off in a jagged gallop toward her. Cindy aimed the crossbow at his head and pulled the trigger. The arrow flew through the air, ripping through his cheek and clipping off a good portion of his ear. The impact of the arrow didn’t slow him down. Cindy reached back to grab another arrow, placing it between her teeth as she pulled the string on the bow, trying to keep her eyes on the rushing infected. Cindy held the crossbow to her shoulder and released the arrow, plugging him in the chest but not slowing him down. Cindy didn’t have enough time to pull another arrow, she stood up and swung the crossbow just as the infected man reached out his arms to grab her, connecting the butt of the crossbow to his temple. The man’s momentum was only temporally detoured, he whipped back around, snarled, and grabbed hold of her. Cindy yelped as nails tore through the sleeve of Jake’s sweater, fear causing Cindy to rear back, tripping over her feet and landing on her side.

  “Ugh, you jerk!” kicking out, Cindy caught the infected man in the shoulder just as he lunged for her. She knocked him back, giving her just enough time to roll and get onto her knees before she felt hands grabbing onto her butt. Cindy pushed herself off of the pavement just as its hand grasped her back pocket, ripping it off and sending her cell phone to the ground with a loud crack. The man snarled and snapped as he gained his feet, the arrow still poking out of his chest. “You rotting jerk!” Cindy huffed and braced herself for another attack, searching the ground for a weapon, her eyes landing on the quiver of arrows.

  Cindy dodged swinging arms, rolling to the ground she reached out and slid another arrow from the quiver, grasping it tight, she swung her arms up just as the man jumped at her. She wasn’t expecting to hear the crack of metal hitting bone when the arrow slid through his mouth, slicing right through the roof into the brain cavity. Cindy held onto the arrow as the man slumped over, the arrow slid out with a slight pop when the body hit the ground. Cindy stood for a moment, staring at the body of the young man, wondering who he was and where he became infected. Looking around to make sure she was still alone, Cindy bent forward once again and wrapped her hands around the arrow that was still in the man’s chest. This one didn’t budge as easily. Cindy thought about leaving it but decided that it wasn’t worth the risk of running out, afterall one could be the difference between life and death. Kneeling down, Cindy took a closer look at where the arrow entered the body. The arrow had wedged between the ribs, the angle of penetration causing the head to catch. Wrapping both hands around the shaft, she placed her foot on the chest and gave a good yank. The arrow wouldn’t budge.

  “Well, if I can't pull it out, I’ll have to push it through.” Cindy grasped the arrow again and tested the resistance of the forward movement. “Alright, looks promising.” Cindy rolled the body on to its side, hoping to maneuver the blade through the back ribs. “Damn, this isn’t going to work.” Cindy muttered when she hit the bone going forward. She started twisting the arrow around, trying to dislodge the tip. After a few minutes, Cindy felt the arrow release. Excitedly, she started to pull the arrow, amazed at how easy the arrow was sliding through the flesh. She pulled the arrow all the way out just to see that the tip was still lodged in the cavity of the man.

  “Well, better to have the shaft then nothing at all.” She picked up both arrows and walked back to her weapon. Sliding the empty shaft into the quiver, she pulled the string back on the crossbow and reset her arrow. Feeling ready again, she went in search for her phone.

  She found her phone in the gutter next to the car that she was hiding behind before the infected man attacked. Crouching down she picked up the phone and groaned. The face was cracked, she tapped the screen and the phone and the screen lit up, “Well that’s good.” Cindy pulled up her contacts and tried to send a text message to Cody but it wouldn’t go through. Sighing, she slid the phone into her other back pocket and continued toward the station.

  Chapter 21

  “Yes, Mrs. Allen…, I know, Mrs. Allen…, Ok, I’ll tell him.” Tim ended the phone call as he walked through the front doors of Alwath.

  “Does she usually call you this early looking for her husband?” Jenny laughed at the pained expression on Tim’s face.

  “My God! That woman is a pain.” Tim replied, “I think Dr. Allen stays here on purpose just to get time away from her. At least she waited until 7am this time, last time I was woken up at 4am! This time she is all upset over a fake news report about zombies. With a scientist as a husband, you would think
she would know better!”

  Jenny and Tim laughed at the silliness of the old woman. What did she think her husband was doing all night long, cheating? The pair waved to colleagues as they made their way toward the labs. Morning was always their busiest time. Tim and Jenny are part of the TH12 program working with Dr. Allen to review data on possible side effects. So far they hit the jackpot. Three years and they were still going strong.

  The two passed by Dr. Hollowman’s office, taking a peek through the blinds of her door to see her sleeping on her tiny couch.

  “I don’t think that woman ever goes home.” Jenny commented sadly.

  “Naw, she’s fine. She’s really committed to this project. We are in the home stretch now.” Tim proclaimed with a fist in the air.

  Jenny laughed at Tim’s playfulness, “You better find Dr. Allen before you get another phone call.”

  Tim’s face fell at the reminder, “Yeah, your right. I’ll pop by his office first. He could be snoozing just like Dr. Hollowman.”

  The two separated at the end of the hall, Jenny going right toward the labs and Tim heading left. Dr. Allen’s office was just down the hall from Dr. Hollowman. Tim approached the closed door and tried to peek in like they did with Dr. Hollowman. The blinds were closed tight. He knew from experience that Dr. Allen did not like to be disturbed when he was resting but Tim would rather get an earful from Dr. Allen than his wife. Taking a fortifying breath he reached up and gave the door three sharp knocks. Tim waited for an answering bellow of ‘what do you want’ but it never came. He reached for the door knob and gave it a gentle twist. It opened without a sound, revealing an empty room. Feeling a bit relieved he continued right toward the far end labs where they worked with the animals.