by Hamrick, R M
Audra noticed the way he phrased it — focusing on efficiency, rather than a reminder to care for herself. She’d let him think she bought it.
She gave a nod and followed him to the sleeping quarters. Their rooms would still be vacant. Space was aplenty again there with the potential sick staying at the motel. That’s where Dwyn should be.
Audra surprised herself when she followed him into his room rather than retreating to her own. If Dwyn was surprised, he didn’t show it. They both took off their boots, leaving them in the hall. Dwyn reached for a bucket of stale water and a couple of rags. He let Audra clean her face, then he helped her wash the wounds of rope against skin. It was a quiet moment between them until Dwyn began his scolding.
“What were you thinking?” he asked as they sat face to face.
He blotted the wet cloth along her neck and shoulders. The water felt cool against her hot skin.
“I thought maybe I could end it by myself,” she answered distantly.
“In that gas station?”
Audra laughed. “Pretty stupid, I know.”
“Pretty hardheaded.”
“Have you come to expect anything less from me?”
His lips smiled in return. He stopped moving the rag, and rested his arms on her shoulders. His fingers playing with loose strands of hair on the back of her damp neck.
Audra bit her lip and looked away.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m so sorry,” she muttered as she untangled from him.
She walked to the other side of the room. Dizzy, she leaned against the wall, afraid otherwise she might fall. Dwyn slowly stood up and carefully approached her.
“You don’t have to be sorry. You’ve just been through hell. And you didn’t even want to be with me before. I’m just glad you’re safe and you’re my friend.”
Audra wiped hot angry tears that pooled on her cheek bones. She pushed them into her hair, but didn’t will them to stop.
“Dwyn, Manny killed himself because he was reverting.”
Now Dwyn looked like he was the one that would collapse, his knees buckling. Audra rushed her arms around him, grabbing his ribcage tightly and holding him upright. He said nothing, but he did wheeze a slight bit.
“I’m so sorry,” she said again, as if that lessened the blow.
Audra felt all the things she had pushed back for so long. Dwyn had been her rock even when she wasn’t accepting. He had been her comfort, even when she didn’t want to get close.
Dwyn coughed and Audra pulled back in surprise.
“No, you were just squeezing the air out of me,” he choked.
Audra laughed through her tears.
He gave her a small smile. “It’s OK. I’m not special. Loads of people are in this situation. I know the scientists will find a cure. It’s just a little scary.”
And a little like fate.
“I feel fine.” He almost sounded convincing.
“I have to clean up again,” said Audra. Her tear-streaked face felt hot and tight.
“Why? I like the proof that you care about me!” He said, wiping her cheek with rough fingers.
Audra punched his arm. Dwyn lost his balance for a moment, but pretended he didn’t. He ruffled her hair, and got his hand stuck in it.
“What do you expect? I’ve been held hostage for days.”
Dwyn removed his hand as delicately as possible. Then, they remained close. Closer than they had been in a while.
“If you kiss me now, how will I know it’s not because I’m dying?”
Audra smirked. “You’ll just have to figure it out.”
She leaned even closer, pressing a soft open kiss into him as she pushed away her own whys and wherefores.
It felt good to be home.
* * *
Satomi pulled out of sleep and sat upright. She wasn’t sure why until a rapping on her door sounded softly. It mustn’t have been the first. Her eyes refused to adjust to the moonlight as she stumbled to the door. Her sleep must have been deep. She should have cured Peter a long time ago. It would have saved her all those sleepless nights.
Opening the door a crack revealed a bright smile encased in thin pink lips.
Ryder entered the room and even though she was small, she was strong. Satomi couldn’t see much for her own hair flying into her face as Ryder picked her up and spun around. For a moment Satomi floated in the air, held up by her love. Ryder tossed her gently onto the mattress pad, quickly following behind her.
“Oh, I missed you too, Ry,” giggled Satomi. She was being kissed all over.
Ryder smelled of pine and sweat. Her nose, fingers, and toes were cold, but were quickly warming up. Neither woman could stop smiling. Or kissing.
Ryder tucked Satomi’s hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry I left the way I did,” she apologized. “They needed me… but so did you.”
Satomi shook her head and let the hair fall back. “I was lost. I found my way.”
“I’m glad you’re back.”
“We were in different places, in more ways than one, but I’m here now,” Satomi confirmed. And here, they could be together.
“Well, there’s much to be done,” Ryder said, each word punctuated with a kiss on her skin.
Satomi giggled and sunrise came too soon.
* * *
It was late afternoon before the group collected themselves and absconded to the conference room adjacent to the laboratory. Audra shut the door and relished the temporary peace and security. She imagined it was something no one had really felt in a while. The size of Satomi’s smile was only eclipsed by the tightness of her embrace.
“I’m glad you’re OK. I’m glad you’re back.” Satomi’s eyes moistened with tears.
“I’m sorry if I wasn’t supposed to tell them,” interjected Jack.
Audra patted him on the back. “I’m glad you did. It really wasn’t going as planned,” she admitted.
The crew found spots against the walls, among the boxes of papers and broken equipment. Ryder hugged onto Satomi. Dwyn patted a spot on the ground next to him. Audra rolled her eyes then tempered it with a wink before sitting down across from him, against a defunct copier. Jack sat with his father, Peter. Peter sat with legs crossed on the floor with the limberness of his son. Audra didn’t pretend to understand Peter’s treatment, but he carried himself like a different person. And most importantly, Audra had been assured that he now had access to all his memories concerning the z-virus and the soldiers.
The group all left space in the middle, as if the conference table still existed. Audra’s thoughts flashed back to Gordon’s awakening, tied to the table and coming to after years of infection. That was a different time then. They thought they were pushing toward a reborn world. But now it seemed the catalyst for that might be their extinction.
“Greenly knows about the motel. It isn’t safe, just like here. The shepherds I was with thought she was organizing some sort of strike against us. And I bet it’s not going to be just a herd of rotters again.” She caught Dwyn’s grimace out of the corner of her eye. “I mean sick,” she ended dumbly.
“Did Corette know anything?” Audra asked.
“She didn’t know what Greenly was planning, but she made it pretty clear that she and several others in Lysent are ready for a change in leadership.”
“That could really help us. Did she know where Greenly keeps the half zom army?” remarked Ryder.
“That doesn’t matter,” spoke up Peter. “They can never be used against us.”
“A failsafe?” asked Ryder.
Peter nodded. “I programmed a safety word. As soon as the army arrives, I can disable them.”
“What is it?” asked Audra.
“Earl Grey,” Peter shared. “But since I programmed it, it will be most effective if it’s relayed in my voice.”
“Could they be used against Greenly?” asked Audra.
“Technically yes, but I’ve come to realize it was wrong of me t
o create them. I took away their free will, just to keep my family safe. I don’t feel comfortable using them.”
“Neither do I,” added Satomi.
A round of nods confirmed that those who didn’t choose to fight, wouldn’t fight.
There was another point to discuss. Audra sighed before diving in.
“Something’s wrong with all the antivirals. One of the shepherds I was with got really sick and said he was reverting. He said it’s happening all over — called ‘em turn-backs. I can’t confirm his story though. He killed himself before he turned, but I can’t see that being a ploy.”
Satomi had already been told, but everyone else involuntarily looked at Dwyn. He gave a small wave.
“I’m OK for now folks, but yeah, I’m glad I’ve been staying at the motel.”
“Could the treatment you gave Peter help those reverting?” asked Audra.
“No, the peptide is already present in Dwyn’s blood. And what’s more, Lisa’s reinfection seems less receptive to the peptide. It’s not a cure, just maybe a preventative measure if given quickly after initial infection.”
“So what else you got?”
Peter and Satomi glanced at each other, before Satomi answered. “We need the original virus.”
“What do you mean, the original virus?” asked Dwyn.
Peter clasped his hands together. “For years, Lysent was experimenting with viruses of mild to moderate illness severity, high morbidity, low mortality. They’d disperse them into the population, then sell vaccines or treatments to bolster the medical sector. It made a lot of people a lot of money. Unfortunately, the z-virus mutated almost immediately upon release. It crossed the blood-brain barrier, which had… unintended consequences.”
“Understatement of the apocalypse,” muttered Audra.
“So the crossing of the blood-brain barrier and shutting down high brain function wasn’t intentional?” asked Ryder.
Audra thought Ryder had a good joke too, but eventually realized she wasn’t being sarcastic.
“Goodness, no. It was just supposed to be a flu-like virus. When it did that and kept the hunger response active. Wow, I didn’t think a virus could really evolve to spread like that.”
“Why not? It’s pretty effective,” replied Satomi.
“Why not, indeed,” he repeated.
“So, if the virus mutated, why do you need the original?” asked Audra, ready to get to the point.
“They never modified the antiviral. They just rolled out the stockpile they had. Unmodified, it does a pretty decent job of clearing out the virus, but it doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier like the virus does. As such, the virus sat dormant in the brain and then, I assume it’s mutated enough to become resistant to the antiviral. Lysent sold these treatments as a bandage for a much bigger problem.”
Audra stared at Peter, refusing to repeat her question.
Satomi intervened. “Peter and I think if we have the original virus and can follow its mutations, we’d have a better shot at making the correct modifications to the antiviral.”
“But there’s no place that has the original virus, right? Everyone’s been infected with the mutated stuff,” Jack said.
“Lysent would have it,” said Peter. “We had it, but I didn’t think to grab any of it before we left DC. Why would we? I thought the virus was already abundant. But they had both, virus and treatment. They had to disseminate it, before they cured it.”
“Do you think Lysent would have held onto it?” asked Audra.
Ryder nodded. “Yeah, they hold onto everything.”
“If they have any idea of its value, I’d say yes,” agreed Peter.
Satomi looked to Audra. “We need that original virus. Otherwise, we’ll continue to lose this war.”
“And what about Greenly?” asked Jack. “Do you think she’s really going to attack?”
“We’ll be ready for them,” said Ryder.
“Actually, I think we’ll bring this fight to Lysent,” announced Audra.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
REGROUP
Katie met Audra at the gate of the motel parking lot. ‘Defeated’ was the first word that popped into Audra’s head. Katie’s hair hung limply, unwashed. Bags hung underneath her eyes. But the fixed look of pain was the worst.
“There’s no one at the gas station?” asked Audra. If Greenly knew of their occupancy here, they couldn’t slack off on watch duty.
“We don’t have enough people.”
Audra’s eyes swept the parking lot. There was no one else around.
“How many have turned?”
“Twelve and most of us have fevers. I didn’t think it would be prudent to have someone outside the fences.”
“Do you have enough food?”
“We have plenty of food,” Katie answered flatly.
Audra thought she heard thunder following behind the rain beginning to fall. But it was the sick in their motel rooms, crashing into things, damaging their bodies, and falling back into decay. A prison of slow death. It felt strange to come here to recruit. These people were sick. But, of course, if they didn’t win this fight, then they’d remain sick forever. These people had the most to lose.
“Whoever is healthy enough and willing, we’re marching on Lysent.”
“I will go… for Lisa,” she volunteered. “Marcos and Sara will want to come as well.”
“Gordon?”
Katie shook her head.
Audra walked softly up the stairs, hoping not to disturb too many trying to get rest or wandering restlessly. She stood in front of Room 13. The noises sounded distant and she dared open the door.
Audra’s eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. She saw the TV broken on the ground, and his bucket of water upturned giving the place a damp smell not unlike the rainy environment outside.
The groan discordant and husky preceded the large looming figure. Gordon’s rectangular face looked wooden, like Frankenstein’s monster. Besides spots of glistening drool and sweat, his skin was a flat grayed khaki.
He shifted weight on straight legs as he walked toward her. As if he knew Audra was supposed to accompany him to Lysent headquarters.
“I’m sorry, dude. It’s not going to happen.”
He grunted, and kicked the TV as he made his way across.
“I’m going to find your family. We’re going to cure you.”
Gordon’s mouth more fell open than he made any effort to work his jaw. A small cry scratched its way out of his throat. He was in pain. Audra had denied it for so long, pulling along her sister as if all was all right.
“I’m sorry. Just hang on,” she whispered as she shut the door on him.
The door vibrated with a THUNK.
Audra fought the temptation to slide down against the door and cry. Instead, she climbed back down the stairs.
“When do we leave?” asked Katie. She had changed out her shirt.
“Not just yet. Get some rest. I need to take someone home.”
* * *
His dark hair might have thinned a bit and his coloring dulled, but Kip still appeared to be an (otherwise) energetic, healthy young man. After pulling him from her motel room, she escorted him at a slow pace, so he wouldn’t damage his extremities.
While this boy had been out to hurt Audra and her friends, in the end he was just a kid. Kids needed family. They shouldn’t — no one should — go it alone. Winter hadn’t been mild, and Audra was sure his family thought the worst.
Audra couldn’t feel the tip of her nose by the time Uno’s gate came into view. She approached cautiously. Audra wasn’t sure if she’d be considered friend or foe. Back in the day, they had been friendly enough when she brought mail. She often brought them news others wouldn’t bother to take so far, seeing as they were the farthest from Choros and Lysent headquarters. But this wasn’t ‘back in the day’ and at least one tagger had originated from their fences.
“You got a sick?” called out the guard from atop the gate.<
br />
“I do, but he’s one of yours. I’ve seen him around here. His name’s Kip, right?”
The guard squinted to see. “Eh, let me get Moe.”
“Tell him it’s Audra.”
Moe’s rounded belly preceded his round face as he opened the gates and ushered her in a few minutes later.
“Well I’ll be damned. You’re still alive. Why you never come around anymore?”
Moe had kept on as mayor and bootlegger of Uno for years. They knew each other well. He looked more spherical than ever. A short scraggly thing patched on his red face. He couldn’t nurture a beard like he could a bottle.
“I quit the good stuff… and Lysent,” she replied. “Is this one yours?” She pointed to her friend.
“Shit, Kip.”
“Yes, it seems that he got bit out in the woods.”
“You don’t say?” said Moe, eyeing her.
“I didn’t set it up. I found him like this, but I do know what he was up to.”
Moe sighed, “Now, now, he wasn’t out on official township business. I don’t condone his actions. But a few of our young men took the opportunity. Winter’s cold. They were hoping to get food and fuel for their families.”
“At the expense of others,” said Audra.
“Well, that’s why we’re short in the first place,” he said. “At the expense of others.”
“Lysent takes much more than it gives,” said Audra.
“And the townships too,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“We’re the last on the rail line. The rations go through every township before ours. You can imagine that some take more than they should — until we’re left with the scraps. Lysent refuses to start down here, work their way up, even just once a month. Greenly favors the first towns. They’re closer to her. Do stuff for her, I guess. We get the short end and always will.”
Another way Greenly set the towns against each other and kept them separated. It made it difficult for the townships to band together and demand fair treatment.
Audra tested the waters. “What if Lysent was convinced to turn itself around?”
It was his turn to ask. “What do you mean?”
“Greenly is blaming my scientists for the reversion—”