by Jeannie Rae
Few infected could be seen about roaming between the buildings here on Brewer Road. The area is more of an industrial part of town than anything else. The smell of fish had always stained the air, but today the stink seemed nearly unbearable, the stench of what could only be described as rotting fish saturated the atmosphere. This is generally the place where the fish from the day’s catch are sold after they are weighed and inspected at the dock and the fishing boat captain has been paid his take. Brewer Road has separate warehouses for each variety of sea life caught on the waters surrounding Port Steward. These warehouses are where they are cleaned and prepped to go market or to be shipped out to other areas of the state and even the country. Each structure is painted a drastically different pastel shade, from pale yellow to mint green and even violet.
Roxy glanced at Randy once more, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her in the mirror. Something felt odd about the way he stared at her, making her feel uncomfortable. But on some level, he seemed almost…familiar to her.
“Why were you looking for me? Was there a problem with my flu shot, a problem bigger that what’s going on out there?” her voice became sharp and to the point.
An uninterrupted silence hung in the air that seemed to last for minutes. As if no one wanted to answer her question, or perhaps, no one knew how to answer it. Normally, Roxy had been a fairly easy-going person, that didn’t say no often and that mostly went with the flow without asking too many questions. Her patience wore exhaustingly thin, perhaps because of the fear that filled her about the disarray of the town, or maybe it could have been the worry that she felt she was drowning in—with regard to her family. These people had her family and were taking them to a place of safety. That was the only reason she agreed to come with them back to Angora.
“Well ma'am, we are not really at liberty to disclose that information with you. There is a doctor, well—a scientist, who needs to see you. She can fill you in on the details,” Rhino finally broke the silence, glimpsing in the rear view mirror only once, before focusing on the road ahead.
“Not at liberty to say? Okay, I get it. You are worried about a lawsuit, aren't you? That flu shot was probably out of date. You just want to get me to your building so that you can have some legal-wise doctor try to smooth things over. A lawsuit is the furthest thing from my mind right now. I just want to get to my family and go somewhere safe, until this whole mess is taken care of,” she fumed.
“Please, calm down. What information we have is limited. It barely makes sense to us. We just have orders to bring you back to Angora, and we follow them. Management has the information that you want to know, not us,” Rhino attempted to ease the situation himself.
Roxy thought for a moment, “Does this have anything to do with what is going on in The Port?”
“I don't know. You will have to check with Dr. Brandenburg, when we get to Angora.”
Roxy sighed thinking for a moment, the glaring back up to Randy, who sat silently with his eyes fixed on her in the mirror.
“Okay. Can you answer this for me then? When you were at Lynn's house, you said that you were looking for the owner of my phone. You also said that she would have changed last night. What aren't you telling me?” She bated.
“You heard that, eh? Attention to detail, impressive,” Randy finally spoke cryptically.
Suddenly, the sports utility vehicle jerked to the side. Roxy slammed into Dave, her head slamming into his shoulder. In an effort to stay on the street, Rhino overcorrected and sent the Expedition into a spin. The automobile spun two and a half times before skidding to a stop, as the engine stalled. Facing the direction from which they had just traveled, the second SUV, containing Boots and Junior had rolled completely over. Mattie and Lynn parked their yellow truck next to the overturned vehicle. With Lynn racing to the SUV to evaluate the situation, Mattie stood guard with his handgun drawn.
“Where did she go? Did I hit that lady? She came out of nowhere,” Rhino explained, looking to Randy.
Roxy whipped her head backward, to check the ladies in the back. The dogs shook off, pacing excitedly in the back seat. Dave had an equally concerned look upon his face, while Rhino and Randy seemed rattled but appeared fine nonetheless.
Looking out the windshield at the flipped Expedition, Roxy could see that Lynn had already begun helping the driver out of the vehicle. The inverted SUV lay in front of a king crab processing building, near a street lamp and a blue postage drop box. The dated asphalt beneath the SUV looked more like puzzle pieces than a street, with tar filling in age cracks, desperately in need of repaving. Few cars were parked near the curb on either side of the street, but no sounds emitted from the buildings—no sounds of machines running, forklifts moving about or voices shouting over the noise to one another. The few faces that could be seen belonged to the infected, they were likely the owners of the cars parked along the road—but they would not be driving today. The infected in the area were drawing closer to the street. Mattie looked panicked, turning his head back and forth, scanning his eyes over the area.
“We have to go help them,” Roxy said looking out the windshield. She instinctively reached for the door handle and pulled. The door would not open. She tried again and so did Dave. Neither door would budge.
“Passenger safety locks. Our mission is to get you back to Angora. If we try to help, you could be injured or worse. Rhino, let’s go,” Randy said coldly.
“No! Those are your men out there and my friends!” Roxy screamed.
“And my men know the risks of this job. If they weren't willing to die to complete the mission, then they would not have come. Besides, it looks like your friends have the situation under control,” Randy said in a low voice.
Roxy rolled down her window as soon as Rhino restarted the engine. She reached her hand outside the half-down window and pulled on the door handle, the door popped opened just as Rhino put the vehicle into drive. She leapt from the vehicle, slamming the door behind her. Rhino slammed the gear to park, while Dave followed Roxy's example and exited the vehicle in the same fashion.
Roxy could hear the heavy footsteps of Randy and Rhino, seconds behind her and Dave. As Roxy neared the overturned SUV, she could see Lynn pulling Boots out and Junior crawling out on his own. Before she could reach them, an infected man cut in front of her, grabbing hold of Junior from behind.
Only yards away, Roxy raced toward them, pushing every muscle in her body to the limit. She watched in anxiety, as the infected man tilted his head back, teeth snarling. He thrust his head forward toward Junior's neck. Before he could connect with Junior’s skin, Roxy's hand seized the infected man’s shoulder. He hesitated for just a moment, but that was all the time that she needed. With her other hand, she grabbed him just under his armpit. Without thinking about it, she pulled him toward her and threw him forward with all her power. The infected man was airborne for about eight feet before slamming onto the asphalt and tumbling to a stop nearly twenty feet from Roxy.
Roxy froze, stunned with uncertainty. For a moment, she couldn’t be positive that she had actually thrown him. She looked at the man in the street and then at her hands, held out in front of her, perhaps hoping to see an explanation as to how that was even possible. A faint, gust dizziness surged through her head as she tried to wrap her mind around the tremendous strength that she’d just portrayed. How…how did I do that? I threw him, right?
The man in the street began rising to his feet. Staring into his soulless eyes, she felt as if they were the only beings on the planet. Planting her feet, she felt a rush of power swelling inside her. Focusing on the man, she readied herself for him to charge. Turning his attention back to Junior—as though he wanted nothing to do with Roxy—he poised himself to sprint. Roxy’s focus shattered when Randy fired a shot into the man's temple as he and Rhino approached the scene.
“Dave, get her back in the SUV, and we'll get everybody else out of here,” Randy commanded.
“Roxy, let's get back to the ladies,” Dav
e said, out of breath as he approached, looking at her in bewilderment.
“Did you see that?” She asked, flustered and breathless.
“Yeah, you forgot to mention your world’s strongest girl powers. We have to get back in the SUV,” he gently grabbed her arm at the elbow and began to guide her.
Mattie watched as the infected drew nearer. There were about twenty of them, now coming out from all directions. He glanced over at Randy and Rhino, who were working fast at retrieving the man from the wrong-side-up vehicle. Lynn had already removed Boots from the SUV, examining his leg.
“Matt, can they ride with you?” Randy called out.
“Yep. Get 'em in the back of the truck,” Mattie said, popping off a round at an oncoming infected woman.
Lynn and Rhino had Boots draped over their shoulders, his right leg was lifted, while he hopped on his left.
Junior sat on the ground, near the passenger window holding his rib cage, breathing shallowly. Randy assisted him to his feet and guided him toward the truck.
“Let’s get goin’ guys,” Mattie called out.
Mattie watched attentively as an infected man and woman that were closing in—suddenly broke into a sprint toward him. He took aim and fired off the first round, striking the man in the face just below the eye. As he inhaled, Mattie took aim again before firing once more. The bullet cut through the dry summer air before finding its place on the right side of the woman’s forehead.
More and more infected were emerging on the scene, the gunfire attracting them as they began surrounding the wreckage. Most of them had been far enough away, that they didn’t notice where the people were, but after the gunshots, they were closing in fast.
Randy hustled to Mattie's truck with Junior and helped him slide into the back through the rear camper shell hatch.
Soon Randy joined Mattie, handgun drawn, “Matt, get in the truck and go. We'll be right behind you. As soon as it clears up we'll pass you, and you can follow us to the lab.”
Mattie nodded, jogging back to his truck—the engine steadily idling. He took a quick survey of the passengers to make sure they were all inside. Lynn rubbed her hands nervously over her denim shorts in the passenger seat. Junior and Boots could be seen through the back window. Mattie pressed in the clutch and shifted to first gear, and with a rev of the engine—he took off.
Mattie sped past Randy and Rhino, making their way to the vehicle containing Roxy and Dave. He watched in his rearview mirror, as the men climbed into the SUV and sped away, dodging several infected during the speedy getaway.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Hank cautiously studied the man before him inside the General Store. While he definitely looked legit and sounded as though he knew a few things, Hank felt a level of suspicion toward the stranger. He had grown a bit of a bond with Joe and Kate, and wanted to make sure that this man was who he said he was. After the man finished explaining about how he used some technology, that Hank couldn’t quite understand, to track down the Harpers using a GPS in Kate’s iPod, Hank began to let his guard down, slightly.
“Now what did you say your name was?” Hank asked.
“Shane Adams, Angora security. But everyone calls me Shotgun,” he replied.
Carefully reaching in his vest pocket, Shotgun handed his security badge to Hank.
“So, you are sure Roxy’s okay?” Kate smiled, excitedly chewing on her index fingernail.
“Yes, ma'am, she is going to help our doctors to find a cure for this infection,” he said happily.
“I don't understand. Roxy is not a doctor or a scientist. She is a nineteen year old, SCUBA instructor down on the cape. So how is she helping to find a cure?” Joe asked.
“I do not know all the particulars. My team radioed that she is on her way to Angora and will likely be there for a while. Angora is a stronghold. Concrete walls and only one entrance point makes it very easy to manage. There is no way those things are going to be able to penetrate her,” he said with conviction.
“Can we talk to Roxy? Can you call her and let me talk to her?” Joe asked desperately.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to reach my team for the last fifteen minutes. As soon as I can get a line through to them, I will let you talk to her,” Shotgun responded.
“Oh, no, has something happened to her? Can we use your phone to call her cell?” Kate questioned frantically.
“It won’t work. The phones haven't been working for hours,” Shotgun responded.
“Such a high tech company, I would think that you could fix a little problem like the phones being out,” Hank said with doubt in his voice.
“You misunderstand me sir. It's not our phones that are out. It is all the phones, at least in this area. Cell phones just aren’t getting reception, maybe a tower or two has gone down. I’m not sure. The land lines are all out. The cell phones issued by Angora are top of the line satellite phones, they still work. I am sure that my team is fine. You don’t need to worry about them, they may be handling a situation or something,” Shotgun said diplomatically.
“We saw some military vehicles pass by just before you. Do you know anything about that?” Hank asked.
“No, I don't. But I’m not surprised. It's about time that they’re doing something. Listen, I really need to get you to Angora as soon as possible. All three of you should come with me, you will be safe there. I give you my word. But we really do need to get moving, it's getting pretty bad out there,” Shotgun pleaded.
Joe looked at Kate and then back at Shotgun, “Fine, let’s go. Kate, grab your sweater. We should grab a few supplies and get going Hank.”
“Nah, take what you need Joe. I’ll stay behind,” Hank nodded stubbornly, pulling out his pocket watch and rubbing his thumb across the backside.
“No way. We should all go together,” Joe said.
“I'll be just fine right here. I can’t leave this place. It is mine and Mary's, and she's buried out back now. It just feels wrong to leave. I’m glad that you and Kate will be reunited with your daughter. But my place is here,” Hank said, gripping the watch tightly.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Mara heard the key card access panel beep at the entrance to her lab. She rose from her desk to greet her visitors. Her heart fluttered with anticipation to meet Roxanne Harper. From what Randy had said over the radio—when they arrived at the lab, Roxanne had some sort of immunity to the virus. Not only had she been injected with the serum, but suffered a bite as well, and had not experienced any of the symptoms. Mara could hardly control her eagerness to meet this woman and run a battery of blood tests.
Walking quickly toward the steel doors of her lab, Mara watched as two women, two men and two large dogs entered alongside Randy. She felt slightly alarmed at the sight of the dogs but had been expecting them. Randy had radioed her that two dogs would be with Roxy, as he checked the newcomers into the building at the security desk. She imagined the dogs to be Chihuahuas or Poodles or something small, she didn’t expect two dogs of this size.
“Hello, I am Dr. Mara Brandenburg,” Mara extended her hand to shake Roxy's.
“Dr. Brandenburg, can you tell me why I’m here?” Roxy asked as she apprehensively shook the doctor’s hand.
“I need to take care of some things upstairs,” Randy said, as he made his way back to the steel doors.
“Thank you Randy,” Mara shook hands with each of the guests and offered a brief introduction, then ushered the group into her office while Lex and Angie continued their work in the lab.
“Let's go into the conference room. You can leave your dogs out here with your friends,” Mara said assertively, waiving her hand to a small table with four chairs, while opening the door to her conference room on the far wall, next to the credenza.
“Dr. Brandenburg, I’ll join you in the conference room. But first, where ever I go, my dogs go. That’s all there is to that. Second, I want my friends to come in that room with me. Besides, whatever you tell me alone in there, I’ll just
end up telling them anyway, so we might as well get it all over with in one shot,” Roxy said in exhaustion.
Mara cleared her throat and smiled, “Ms. Harper, I don't think you understand.”
“Understand? No… I don't think you understand. Do you have any idea what's going on out there? Have you been outside? People are dying. Understand, you say, I completely understand. I want answers. No one will tell me what’s going on. I just want someone to be straight with me. Why am I here?”
Mara hadn’t rehearsed what she would say to the lone survivor of the serum injections when she arrived at Angora. Her hopes had been rebuilt at the news of a survivor, leading her to think that this woman may hold the key to a vaccine or even a cure. But now, reality came crashing down on Mara. This was no rat in her lab, this was a person. And this person was pissed off. Roxanne was very young, barely legal by society’s standards, but this young woman looked and seemed as if she had grown up very quickly, no doubt having been through a lot in her brief nineteen years.
“If you'll all please join me in the conference room,” Mara surrendered, nodding her head.
She stood off to the side, motioning for all to go in the room. There are at least three conference rooms on each floor of Angora, except for Mara's floor and the top floor. The exploratory floor has just one. Other than her two lab assistants, it’s just Mara down there.
Mara followed the group into the room and closed the door. She had only actually used this conference room maybe three times over the last two years.
After all the guests had been seated, Mara could see that the two dogs were surprisingly well behaved. They both appeared to be settling in for a nap as they lay on the floor at Roxanne's feet. Mara stood at the end of a long, rectangular, glass-top table. As she looked at the guests sitting before her, the four of them looked ravaged. She hadn't quite noticed as they arrived how tired and dirty they appeared. She knew to some degree, what had been happening outside the large walls of Angora, but seeing them now, she realized that maybe Roxanne was right. I don't understand.