“Fucking Marble Keystone Pharmaceuticals,” Alec sighed and grinned. “They expanded so far beyond just pharmaceuticals; I wonder why they still bother keeping it in the name?”
“They don’t,” Danny informed him. “They have a bunch of different branches that have different names. People just always remember the pharmaceuticals part because it’s the first thing they did and what they advertise most often. They’re actually the Marble Keystone Corporation.”
“Hmm. So where’s your brother in all this?” Alec changed topics.
“I don’t know,” Danny sighed. “He’s probably fine though. He works in a big secret facility.”
“Secret facility?” Alec suddenly took even more interest in what Danny was saying.
“Yeah. I don’t know where it is, but they do all sorts of stuff down there. Mathias doesn’t tell me too much though, just in case they find out. He only tells me about the things that are about to go public, like the Ostra.” Danny suddenly went pale. “There’s one of them,” he whispered to Alec.
He pointed to one of the crazed people who were wandering around between two houses.
“Yeah, I noticed him,” Alec nodded. “He can’t see us though, his eyes are gone.”
Danny took another look. Indeed, the man’s eyes were gone, just shredded holes in their place. He bumped back and forth between the houses.
“Are we almost there?” Danny lowered his voice. His eyes may be gone but his ears still seemed to be intact.
“Just a little further,” Alec assured him.
Danny was worried about Emma. Her leg looked pretty bad. It looked to him like she had lost a lot of blood too. If they didn’t get the doctor soon he was scared she wasn’t going to make it. She had to make it, she just had to.
“Can we hurry up?” Danny asked.
“If you think you can keep up, sure.” Alec picked up his pace.
Danny had to trot to keep up. His legs ached a little at first, from all the running he had done earlier, but that went away quickly. During the school year, his gym teacher told him he should join the track team, but he didn’t. He wanted more time for his video games. That seemed like a really stupid decision right now. He was a natural runner, but he never really exercised. At least he didn’t pig out on junk food all the time like the other kids did. He’d be fat then and would probably be dead by now. He promised himself that if he survived this, he would exercise a lot more and spend a lot less time in front of the TV.
“There’s the house.” Alec pointed up ahead.
It looked like all the other houses in the area, except that it was on a corner, so it was more open on one side. Danny liked that; less spaces for the crazies to be lurking. They approached the house and Alec frowned. To get to the door, they had to cross a cement patio, which was a step up from the driveway.
“All right kid, I’m going to need your help,” Alec sighed.
“Sure. What should I do?” Danny stood up straight. Being needed made him feel better about his decision to come. Up until then, he had been feeling like a nuisance, like he was just slowing Alec down.
“I’m going to hoist myself up, and you’re going to lift the chair up onto the patio, okay?” Alec took his pistol off his lap and slid it into a pocket, then grabbed hold of an iron railing.
“Okay.” Danny tightened his grip on the handles.
“All right, on the count of three. One, two, three!” Alec pulled himself up and out of his chair. He actually stood somewhat, but clearly most of his weight was on his arms, and he was very shaky. The railing trembled beneath him.
Danny pulled and heaved the chair up the step. It was a lot heavier than it looked, but he managed to get it up. “I got it.”
Alec swung his body around and collapsed into the chair. He used his strong arms to put his legs back into position.
“You stood.” Danny thought he would have just collapsed.
“I’m not totally paralysed.” Alec took a short breather. “My legs were shredded by gunfire but they’ll heal eventually. This is temporary.” He patted the chair. “But I have to relearn how to use my legs and it’s hard. Painful too. These help though.” Alec rolled up a pant leg and showed Danny a metal brace attached to his leg.
“Cool,” Danny said in an automatic way. “I mean the braces,” he quickly realized he might have insulted the soldier. “Not that you’re in a wheelchair or were shot or anything.”
“It’s okay.” Alec grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “I think the braces are kind of cool too. They make me like a cyborg.”
Danny smiled. The two of them crossed the cement patio over to the door. They passed by a big bay window but the curtains were drawn, so they couldn’t see much inside.
“Well, the fact that this isn’t broken is a good sign.” Alec lightly rapped a knuckle on the window as they passed.
Danny pressed the doorbell, and soft chimes sounded from inside the house. They waited, but no one came to open the door.
“Maybe they’re not home,” Alec shrugged.
Danny frowned. Emma needed a doctor. He opened the first door, which was basically a large pane of glass, and pressed his face against the frosted glass that adorned the second, big wooden door. Soft chimes sounded again as Alec stretched up and pressed the door bell himself. Not a single shadow moved inside. Danny tried to open the door, but it was locked.
“Step aside; hold the door open for me.” Alec grabbed Danny and pulled him back.
Danny stood to one side, holding the glass door open so that it wouldn’t close on Alec. Alec swung his big bag around and searched inside until he found a small leather case with a zipper along three sides. He unzipped the case and folded it open. Inside, there were little tools that Danny didn’t recognise.
Alec noticed Danny looking over his shoulder. “Lock picking set,” he filled him in. He selected the tools he wanted and started to work on the lock.
Danny wanted to watch him work, but he suddenly felt like there were eyes on them. Turning to look around the neighbourhood, he spotted the watcher. Across the street, a man stood behind a window. He was wearing a black suit with a loosened tie, as if he had just come home from a funeral. He wasn’t bloody, but his mouth hung wide open, and something was wrong with his eyes, but the distance made it impossible to tell what. He stood perfectly still, just watching Danny and Alec from behind the glass. The curtains hung around behind him, giving the impression, he was a little kid playing hide and seek. Remembering what Nelly looked like in the park, Danny shuddered. He had to save Emma.
“Got it.” Alec swung the door open.
“Do you need help getting in?” Danny turned away from the watcher and noticed that there was still a minor step to get into the house. It wasn’t as bad as the one onto the patio, but it was still a step.
“No, I got it. Just keep holding that door open for me.” Alec tilted back onto the big rear tires of his wheelchair. Once the front wheels were on the step, he used one hand to grab the doorframe. By turning the back wheels with one hand, and pulling on the doorframe with the other, he was able to pull the chair up with him. “Piece of cake.”
Danny looked back across the street. The watcher was gone; the soft swaying of the curtains was the only thing to acknowledge he had even been there. Danny quickly got into the house and shut the big door behind him. He locked it as well, even though the big bay window was an easy break-in point.
“Whoa. Come look at this, kid.” Alec had wheeled into the living room.
“What?” Danny walked down the short entry hall and joined Alec in the living room.
“This chick’s prepared for anything,” Alec commented.
Strewn around the off-white living room were various out of place objects. Gas masks sitting under the dark wood coffee table, a crowbar in the corner between a white floor lamp and the window, a big wooden board the size of the bay window along one wall, and two pistols sitting on end tables, that matched the coffee table, across the room from each o
ther.
Alec went over and checked out one of the pistols. “This thing is loaded. Well taken care of too. Do you think she knew what was going to happen?”
“I don’t know. Maybe,” Danny shrugged, “or maybe she’s just crazy. Let’s get what we need and go.” The house actually creeped him out with its strangeness. The only reason he was willing to spend any time in it, was because Emma needed him to.
“Okay. I’ll check this floor. You go check out the basement.” Alec put down the pistol. “Anything that looks like drugs or medical supplies, you bring up here. If anything happens, scream at the top of your lungs and try to get back to me.”
“Okay,” Danny nodded. At least the house was a bungalow, so there was no upstairs to check.
Danny found the stairs leading into the basement through the kitchen and flipped a light switch at the top of them. When the lights illuminated the space below, Danny took a moment to stop and listen. A minute or two passed without any sound or movement, so he made his way down. The basement was finished, with a nice beige carpet and chocolate coloured walls. First, he looked around an open area that was set up as a home theatre. There weren’t any medical supplies, but he did find more weapons and gas masks. There were also more window-sized boards leaning against the walls. Danny was thinking that maybe this person had some idea about what had happened. Clearly, he or she didn’t know everything though or else the doctor would be here. Then again, a lot of things happened that made some people think the world was going to end, and they went totally overboard. The doctor was probably one of those people. A crazy doctor: Danny shuddered at the thought.
He found a small bathroom next. It was done up in whites and pale blues which made the red handled axe stand out. Crazy. The next room was a storage room. It had guns of all kinds with bullets to match, full biohazard suits, lots of tools, what looked like explosives, blankets and camping gear, but mostly food. There was a lot of canned and jarred food filling the shelves. There was also a shelving unit of medical supplies.
A red, normal-sized backpack was mixed into a pile of camping packs. Danny picked it up and started putting the medical stuff into it. He didn’t know what would be needed, so he took at least one of everything and then doubled up on what looked most important: things like bandages, and painkillers, for instance. Once the bag was filled, Danny walked toward the door again but stopped next to a rack of pistols.
He picked up one of the smaller pistols and looked it over. Danny’s brother had taught him all about guns but had never let him hold a loaded one. This one wasn’t loaded either, but the clearly labelled ammo clips sat right next to it. Looking around like someone might see him, Danny stuck the pistol into the waistband of his shorts. He then took two clips of ammo and put them in either pocket. He wanted more, but his pockets would bulge, and Alec would ask questions. If the Ranger were going to let him have a gun, he would have given him one already. Danny left the storage room and went to the last door. It opened into a short hallway that had a huge, thick, metal door dominating one side.
“Alec!” Danny called in a non-panicked voice. “Alec, I found something!”
A moment later, Alec replied from the top of the stairs. “What is it?”
“Looks like some sort of panic room! The door’s open!” It was practically a vault.
“Don’t go in it!” Alec warned him. “I found some supplies up here we can use, so there’s no need to look! That door could seal automatically and trap you inside!”
Danny hadn’t thought about that. “Okay! I found some things too! I’m coming up!” He crossed the basement quickly and climbed the stairs two at a time. Alec was waiting at the top in his chair. Behind him, his tires had left dirty tracks across the kitchen tile. That was when Danny realized he had tracked dirt all around the basement.
“Come on.” Alec headed back to the front door, and Danny tagged along after him. “You said you found some stuff?”
“Yeah, there was a whole supply room down there. I grabbed one of everything from what looked like the medical supplies.” Danny held out the backpack.
“Good job. I found a few things around the house too, so we should have enough to fix up your friend’s leg.” Alec didn’t look like he had more stuff, but then again, his duffel bag was pretty big. “Stop,” Alec hissed and held up a clenched fist.
Danny stopped. “What is it?” he whispered.
Alec pointed toward the bay window. The watcher was there. He looked just like he did from across the street, only now the window was much closer, and the curtains were between them. The light coming in made the curtains more transparent from the inside than from the outside, providing some protection from his gaze. His eyes were easier to see this closely. They had thick, black veins, like marked rivers on a map, pulsing in the skin around them. Danny stood perfectly still, but he knew the watcher had seen them. He was staring right at them.
“What do we do?” Danny reached behind him, gripping the pistol. Even unloaded, feeling it in his hand was reassuring.
“We’re going out the back way,” Alec spoke very quietly and very calmly. “Move very slowly, no sudden movements, okay?”
Danny nodded, even though Alec couldn’t see it. He very carefully walked backwards, slow step by slow step. Without being asked to, he grabbed the handles of Alec’s chair and pulled him backwards with him. They backed into the kitchen where they could no longer see the watcher. Alec had his pistol held out in both hands. Danny hadn’t even seen him pick it up. As Alec kept watch, Danny went to check out the back door. He drew back the slats of the blinds and unlocked the sliding door. Opening it wide, he stuck his head out. The tiny backyard was clear of threats, but there was a whole other problem. He turned back to Alec.
“Umm…” Danny didn’t know how to word it.
“What is it?” Alec whispered without turning. “Are there more?”
“No, the backyard is clear, it’s something else.” Danny grabbed Alec’s chair and pulled him to the back door.
Alec glanced over his shoulder. “Great.”
The back door led out onto a wooden deck that was rather high, with several narrow wooden steps to the ground.
“Whatever, I’ll manage.” Alec popped his wheels over the doorframe and rolled out onto the wood. He took his duffel bag off his shoulders and dropped it over the side. It hit the gravelled ground below with a thump and a clatter. “Wait down there, kid.”
“You sure I can’t help?”
“Do it.”
Danny hurried down the steps. He picked up the duffel bag, but he couldn’t hold it for too long. It was heavy. He managed to stand it up on one end and wrap his arms around it. As he held the bag, he looked up and watched Alec. Putting his gun back into his pocket, the Ranger grabbed the wooden railing with one hand and placed his other against the wall. He rolled back on two wheels again, and rolled over the edge. Very carefully, and very slowly, he thumped down one step at a time, straining his arms to keep from rolling down out of control. The wheels were almost too large to fit on the steps and constantly threatened to push him down faster. Alec was halfway down when they heard the explosive crash of the bay window shattering.
* * *
Alec looked over his shoulder toward the door. “Fuck it. Look out kid!”
Danny just managed to step out of the way, dragging the large bag with him, as Alec threw his body up out of his chair and over the railing. He hit the gravel, his legs crumpling under him and causing him to roll. As he rolled, he pulled out his gun again in one swift motion and came to a stop with it pointed at the deck.
“Get my chair.”
Danny dropped the bag and hurried over to where the chair lay battered at the bottom of the steps. He righted it, giving it a quick inspection. Nothing on it looked broken. He turned around just in time to see the watcher standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at him. Those black sludge veins stretching across his face, radiating out of his blood-shot eyes, and that wide stretched mouth ope
ning to an abyss lined with teeth. Danny couldn’t look away. Before he could draw a breath, Alec fired his pistol. The watcher’s head exploded sideways at the same moment his knees came unhinged and he collapsed. Something in the next yard over screamed and ran into the fence.
“Something didn’t like that. Chair, quick.” Alec held out his arm.
Danny wheeled the chair over to Alec, glancing up to the deck one more time. One of the watcher’s hands hung over the side. Alec grabbed the chair and pulled himself into it on his own. Danny wanted to help, but didn’t know how. Instead, he grabbed Alec’s bag and handed it to him once he was settled. Something hit into the fence again, the boards rattling like dry bones.
“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Alec rolled across the gravel toward the side yard. Danny hurried after him with a quick glance over his shoulder at the fence. The boards were rattling ceaselessly now. “Danny, I have a request for you that’s going to sound strange, and extremely uncomfortable.”
“What?” Danny didn’t like the sound of that.
Alec was silent a moment as he rolled out into the street. “Did you notice that the entire way here was uphill?”
“No, why? What are you asking me to do?”
“This is going to make me sound like such a pervert,” Alec sighed. “If you sit in my lap, we can get back to my place faster by rolling downhill.”
“Yeah, that makes you sound like a perv,” Danny nodded.
“Which is not how I intend it,” Alec quickly said. “Believe me, I am way more interested in women my age. I just don’t think you’ll be able to keep up on foot. If it makes you feel better, I still don’t have much feeling down there.”
That actually both repulsed and amused Danny. The sound of wood splintering decided for him.
“All right, let’s try this.” Danny opted not to actually sit on Alec, but to stand on the bar that acted as his footrest, lean forward, and grab his wide-set shoulders.
Alec used his considerable strength to get the chair rolling. It was taking awhile to get speed though. Since Danny was facing backwards, he could see the crazy person burst out from between the houses. Further up the street, three more people were running at them as well.
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