Outbreak: Brave New World

by Van Dusen, Robert

  She tried to not think about the firefight with the locals in Concord. The blood all over the inside of the Humvee, chunks of Sergeant Barnes’ head spattered on the window. The recoil of the Mark 19 shuddering through the palms of her hands the flashes of the 40mm grenades detonating. Running for her life after Evans got tagged and crashed the truck…

  There had been one small piece of light in the shape of a chubby Irishman named Eamon. He had loved her and treated her better than she really deserved… She realized that now, despite how much she had tried to keep things casual, she had loved him too. Not that it mattered in the end. She had always been kind of a bitch to him…not that it mattered anymore. Eamon was dead now too. He had died raiding a hospital to get surgical supplies to patch up the gunshot wound in her leg. He had given up his life for hers…a highly trained doctor for a crippled ex-junkie did not strike her as a fair exchange in her opinion.

  The door slid open a few minutes later and Amy’s mom came out onto the deck. “Would you like another cup of coffee?” Jessica asked from the doorway. “There’s a little hot water leftover from breakfast if you do.”

  Rodriguez forced a smile. “Sure. I’ll take some if it wouldn’t be any trouble.” she said and then turned her attention back to the area around the house. It was nice and quiet…kind of like looking at a postcard or something. It was so different from Boston or Hanscomb or the tedious madhouse that had been that goddamn school… The door opened up again and Frannie turned in her chair when she heard the sound of tiny footsteps.

  “Hey Frannie!” Paul said with a big grin as he walked towards her. The boy had what looked like Matchbox cars in his hands which he held out for Frannie’s inspection. “Wanna play trucks with me?”

  Frannie smiled at the little boy, her heart melting into a puddle. “I’d like to, buddy but I’m working right now.” she said quietly. The little boy seemed disappointed and looked at the toy cars in his hands. “Why don’t you ask your sister to play?”

  Paulie went over to the table near the door and put his toys on it before coming back over to stand next to Frannie. “She’s doing more pitchers.” the boy said, his little face wrinkling up with distaste. “What you doing?”

  “Well…I’m…watching out for…stuff.” Frannie said quietly. The little boy stared at her as if trying to puzzle something out. He walked a little closer and rested his chin on her forearm as he looked up at her. Frannie could not help but feel a little uncomfortable, as if she could sense Paul’s big blue eyes pressing into the scars on her face and neck. She started to wonder when the boy would start to ask the same questions strangers always asked eventually.

  Paulie pressed his cheek against her arm. “What kinda stuff are you watching for?” he asked. The boy looked from Frannie’s face to the black carbine between her legs and back again. She gave an exaggerated sigh then leaned her M4 against the railing and let the boy climb into her lap.

  “Strangers and stuff like that.” Frannie said as she let the boy get comfortable in her lap and put her arms around him. She frowned slightly then sighed and smiled. “Tell you what, buddy. Wanna help?”

  The boy’s face lit up. “Really? Neat!” he said as he settled back against Frannie’s chest. The two of them sat there for a little while, enjoying the little noises of the forest around them. Frannie could only guess at what half of them were. She figured that most of the sounds were birds or bugs or something. There were little screeching chitterling type noises that made the little boy in her lap tense up every once in awhile. Paulie would look around then relax after a couple seconds when Rodriguez held him tight.

  The door slid open again and Jessica came back with a mug of coffee in each hand. Frannie frowned a little bit as she picked the boy up and set him down on the deck. “Thank you very much, Mrs. Frays.” Frannie said as she accepted the steaming mug. She frowned and looked at her lap for a moment. “I…um…really don’t know how to thank you guys.”

  Jessica simply smiled and patted the woman’s forearm. “Don’t think anything of it.” she said then turned her attention to the boy. “Hey Paulie, George and Carl were planning on going fishing. If you ask nice, I’ll bet they’ll take you with them.” The boy grinned widely and scampered off into the house in search of Carl and Mister Frays. “It’s no trouble at all taking you kids in.” Jessica said as she took a sip of her coffee.

  Frannie suddenly took a quick breath and covered her mouth. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” she said quietly as she stifled a choking sob. Jessica moved closer and put an arm around Frannie’s shoulders and took the younger woman’s free hand in hers. After a couple minutes Frannie sort of smiled and made a half hearted attempt at a laugh. “Here I am twenty six years old crying my eyes out because I miss my mom and my…um…boyfriend.” Jessica snorted which made Rodriguez smile a little bit. “Your daughter does that too. Now I know where she gets it.”

  “What’s your first name?” Jessica said, still smiling. She separated herself from the younger woman and took a sip of her coffee. “If you’re going to stay I’m not calling you Rodriguez or Specialist or whatever.”

  “It’s Francesca. You can call me Frannie.” Rodriguez said as she wiped her eyes. She took a drink of her coffee, strangely enjoying the feeling of the caffeine making a dynamic entry on her brain like a horde of pissed off Rangers that were all hopped up on steroids and PCP. Then, she reflected, it had been a while since she was not stoned off her ass on a prescription only narcotic. It actually felt pretty good to be sober for a change.

  “Nice to meet you, Frannie. You can call me Jessie.” Jessica looked at Frannie with an expression of utter seriousness. “Listen, Frannie…there’s something I need to ask.” she said with a small, uncomfortable sigh. Her face twisted around as if she were thinking of the best way to ask a difficult question. “I don’t know what’s going on, but something’s the matter with Amy. What really happened out there? I know she’s not telling us everything.”

  Rodriguez tried to hide her face as best she could behind her coffee cup. “Well, it wasn’t exactly a cakewalk getting here.” she said at last with a sarcastic little smirk as she motioned to her wounded leg. “Please, Jessie…I don’t know how much Amy would want me to tell you guys. We talked sometimes and stuff, but…please talk to her, alright?”

  “That’s just it, Frannie.” Jessica said angrily. The woman set her coffee cup on the table and looked at the deck between her feet. “Amy used to do stuff with her dad but I was the one she talked to…if that makes any sense. Since she got back from Iraq…I mean…she used to call at least twice or three times a week to say hi and just chat. She got off the plane, hung around for a couple of days and then she went back to school. She called once in the month or so before everything…you know.”

  Rodriguez frowned. Go talk to your damn daughter instead of griping to me, lady. Frannie thought, suddenly inexplicably furious with the older woman as she struggled to keep her face neutral. I don’t fucking need this shit right now. “I guess it’s hard to talk about stuff with someone who wasn’t there.” she said and shrugged. Frannie finished the last swallow of coffee in her cup and set it on the railing. “I mean…I’m probably not the best person to talk to about this. My mom tried so hard t-to help me after I got hurt…” The young woman felt tears welling up in her eyes again. “I was kinda out of control and did a bunch of things I’m…not proud of. I mean, I almost died…six of the twelve people in the truck with me did die and…and Hendricks…Jesus, he lost both his arms…” Frannie’s chest heaved as she struggled to keep down a fresh bout of sobs. “It’s no excuse but…I mean…I dunno…”

  “I-I’m so sorry that happened to you.” Jessica said quietly as tears started coursing down her cheeks. They both started when the glass door slid open and the twins bounded out onto the deck followed closely by Carl, his father and Laura. Lacey had his combat gear on, his M16 slung across his chest. Frays had turned lengths of an old radio antenna into a handful of reasonably functional supp
ressors, which two small pipe clamps and some one hundred mile an hour tape held over the end of the rifle’s barrel while they were holed up in a high school a few weeks ago. It worked pretty well for about seven or eight shot until the steel wool inside the pipe melted from the heat of the rounds being fired.

  “I’m gonna catch a fish!” Paul announced with a big grin. The boy paused and looked at the damp cheeks of the two women and frowned a little bit. He went over and pressed his cheek against Frannie’s bicep, his little hands wrapping around her fingers as he looked up at her with big puppy dog eyes. The boy tugged on her arm, trying to pull her to her feet. “Come fishin’ with us, Frannie!”

  Frannie laughed and looked at the boy’s mother. “Maybe a little later, buddy.” she said as she gave him a hug and kissed the top of Paul’s head. “Catch a big one, little man.” Jessica and Frannie smiled as the others started herding the children across the deck. Laura looked over her shoulder at Frannie and made a face like she was going to say something but decided against it.

  Jessica and Frannie exchanged amused little glances as Lacey, Carl and George helped the others across the gap between the deck and the cement landing and the stairs that went down to the lake. “That little boy’s got a crush on you.” Jessie said with a smirk. She sipped her coffee and glanced at the young woman sitting next to her.

  Frannie smirked and nodded in agreement. “I think Carl does too.” she said quietly as her fingers climbed up the craggy side of her throat. Rodriguez scratched the scars on her cheek then looked at the planks between her feet and sighed, making a conscious effort to stop.

  “You noticed too, huh?” Jessica said and smiled as she finished her coffee. The older woman smiled uneasily. “Listen… We don’t know each other, so…”

  Frannie snorted and furrowed her brow. “Oh, God. No! He’s like half my age!” she exclaimed. Jessica noticed an offended expression coming across the younger woman’s face before she could hide it. Rodriguez rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the others down by the water. “And now I feel old all of a sudden…” she mumbled and shook her head. Frannie found herself wishing that Amy would come out or her mother would go inside so this woman would leave her the hell alone.

  Amy folded her arms across her chest and sighed. Her feet already felt better but they still looked kind of nasty, like uncooked sausages on the ends of her legs. She frowned and glanced at the cup of coffee resting on the end table behind her head. Frays glanced at her watch and furrowed her brow. Not even two hours in and I’m already bored out of my skull! the young woman thought with a little bit of irony. She could not help but think about the teacher’s lounge at the school where they had holed up, which in turn led her thoughts back their trip to Fort Devins and clammy grasping hands snapping teeth and oh God the stench… Frays blinked then shook from head to toe and forced herself to focus her attention on the two people sitting on the other side of the glass doors.

  Rodriguez and Mom were talking on the deck. The two of them seemed to get along pretty well. The Laceys were with Dad and Carl down by the dock, probably having fun trying to catch a fish or three for dinner. She wrapped her arms around herself, aware of the fact that this was the closest she had been to being alone in almost a month. It felt…kind of strange, really.

  For a brief moment the desire for a cigarette flared up so bad that she could almost taste that sweet, sweet nicotine. Frays’ eyes flitted towards Rodriguez’s Kevlar on the floor next to the blue recliner across the room and, more importantly, the half empty pack of Marlboros stuck in the elastic band around the outside of the helmet. Amy grumbled under her breath and jammed her hands into her armpits, her frown deepening into a full on scowl.

  The door slid open and Jessica came inside. The two of them looked at each other for a minute before Jessie smiled awkwardly. “How are you, Amy?” she asked and sank into the rocking chair next to the couch. “Feeling okay?”

  Amy sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m fine, Mom.” she said and squirmed around on the couch. The younger Frays lifted her head and scratched behind her ear. She forced herself to smile a little and turned to her mom. “I just wish I could help. Jeez…stupid feet.”

  Jessica chuckled and tousled her daughter’s hair earning her a frown from the younger woman. “Don’t worry about it. You just relax and get better, hon.” she said with a small grin “Are you sure you’re okay?” Jessie reached around and handed Amy her coffee cup. She sat there for a little while, letting Amy take her time.

  Amy’s mouth pinched shut into a thin line she blinked a couple times and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes with one shaking hand. Her mouth opened and closed a couple times, a hundred bad things springing to mind. What exactly did her mother expect her to say? That she had seen her Flight Sergeant get shot in the face? She had tried to pull another airman’s legs off because their truck was going to fall into the Charles River? A maniac had held a knife to her throat and he and his friend were going to probably drag her off into the woods so they could rape her to death a few weeks ago? That a tired and scared young man had nearly blown her head off when all she wanted to do was help him? That something she never would have believed could even exist had tried to eat her alive?

  “I’m fine, Mom. Really. Thanks for the coffee.” she said with another strained smile. Frays finished the coffee and settled into the couch cushions. “I think I’m going to try and take a nap.”

  The disappointed expression on her mother’s face made Amy’s gut churn. “Alright, hon.” Jessica said quietly and took the empty cup from her daughter’s hands. She looked around quietly and gave Amy a hint of a conspiratorial grin. “Why don’t you go into the back bedroom? The Laceys won’t be needing it for a little while.”

  Lacey stood on the shore next to his wife the two of them watching Paul who stood on the dock try and make the tiny fishing pole work. Becca was probably not helping her brother catch anything: she was amusing herself by throwing rocks in the water a few feet away. George and Carl were standing a little farther along the shoreline, their lines in the water. The skinny Marine smiled a little at his wife as his eyes wandered taking in their surroundings. Rodriguez waved when she saw him looking towards the house and he returned the gesture. Laura made a low, almost animalistic noise under her breath. He turned and raised a quizzical eyebrow. “What?”

  Laura rolled her eyes and turned, putting her back to him a little bit. “Nothing.” she said quietly and crossed her arms. Adam put his arms around his wife and held her, feeling the rigidness of her body. He smiled and rested his chin on her shoulder, gently rocking her back and forth. Adam savored the scent of her hair…her skin that, in his darkest moments, he thought he would never smell again.

  “God, I still can’t believe you’re all safe.” he whispered in Laura’s ear and gently kissed her cheek. It took a couple minutes but eventually she leaned back and snuggled against Adam’s chest. “I was worried sick about you and the kids. I almost can’t believe it.”

  “I know, Adam.” Laura whispered, enjoying the feeling of her husband’s arms around her. “Ow.” Adam’s rifle started digging into her back. She turned and hugged her man and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

  “WOOOOOO!” Becca called, imitating the sound effect she had heard when people kissed on television. The little girl stopped throwing rocks at the lake to point at her parents and laugh. Paul giggled then concentrated really hard and whipped the rod towards the water just like Mister Frays had shown him. The little bobber and impaled worm sailed through the air for a couple dozen feet before plopping into the water over a submerged forest of dark green weeds.

  The boy reeled in the slack and waited intently, waiting for the slightest hint that he might be getting a bite. The red and white plastic ball bobbed on the little waves then suddenly disappeared below the surface. “Dad! Dad! I got one!” Paulie shouted excitedly as he tried to reel in the fish. Adam rushed to his son’s side and tried to think of some advice to give. He had no
t been fishing since he was his son’s age.

  A large silvery fish twisted and writhed as Paul started reeling it in. The fishing pole’s reel screeched occasionally when the trout tried to make a run for it. Adam became aware of George and Carl standing behind him on the dock. “Holy smokes! Carl, go get the net out of the shed!” the older man exclaimed. After what seemed like a minor eternity, the fish finally gave up and allowed Paul to reel it in and George scooped it up with a net.

  “Wow! Dad, look!” Paulie shouted and jumped up and down as the fish flopped and gasped in the green nylon netting. The fish lay still and Becca crept in slowly for a closer look then jumped and ran back to her mother when it suddenly flopped around for a few minutes as if trying to make one last bid for freedom. Her brother laughed and smiled up at his father.

  “Good for you, Paulie!” Adam said and pulled his son against his leg. “Boy, look at that!” He gave Paul a prideful grin and looked at George. “Um…what do we do with it?”

  George smiled and reached into the net and pinched the trout’s bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger, paralyzing the flopping fish. “Holy crow! That’s one of the biggest rainbows I ever seen, kiddo.” he said and winked at the little boy as he lifted the trout. “We’ll put him in a bucket over here and hopefully we’ll catch a few more to have for supper tonight.”

  Paulie grinned widely as Carl filled a five gallon pail with lake water and set it on the ground near the stairs. “Nice one, Paul.” Carl said and tousled the boy’s hair. He dug around in his pocket and produced a crumpled dollar bill. “Here. Whoever gets the first fish gets a dollar. Remember, Dad?” Paul’s grin widened when both George and his father each gave him a dollar.