EVOLVED

by Jessica Gomez

  The crowd around me grows louder, with humans crying, begging him to stop, as the infected salivate and grunt to cheer him on. Just as he’s about to attack, a thunderous roar sounds through the small space. The protest reverberates across the room, triggering silence. Both the infected and humans cower to the ground.

  The monster hovering over me freezes, but makes no move to retreat, keeping me pinned beneath his body.

  “Mine,” Jeff’s dark voice growls.

  The infected holding me captive laughs at Jeff’s declaration before he glides himself away from me.

  I watch in disbelief as Jeff circles around to block me with his body, the infected sizing him up.

  Without warning, Jeff springs, startling me. I yelp and scoot back as far as my chain will allow. They’re ruthless, both fighting for dominance. The massive blows have them spreading around the room, causing the humans to move out of the way while the infected surround them, jeering them on.

  Next to them, the man that helped me begins to stir, groaning. I glance between him and the fight as he’s finally able to sit up straight, placing a hand to his head.

  When he looks over, I mouth “Thank you.”

  He nods once, then turns to the fighting in front of us.

  There’s a loud crack that draws my attention and the room goes silent.

  Jeff stands to his full height before dropping my now dead attacker to the cave floor. He glares at each person individually, putting them all in their places, sending a message. I’m his property, and if anyone wants to challenge him, he welcomes it.

  There are several infected in the cave. Four beds lay in front of mine, lower on the floor. My bed’s elevated on a higher ledge, closest to the fire. With Jeff’s actions and the way the room shrank from his presence, he may hold dominance over this group. To the left is the man that helped me, and another bed to his left. Two other beds sit directly across the cave to my right, each having a human chained within its confines. In the back, farther away from the fire, huddle several other infected. Clothes ripped and skin putrefying, they’re clearly the unhealthiest of the group, while the advanced healthier ones appear as leaders. Set up in a hierarchy manner, the room resembles anything but chaos. Even with the brutal fight that took place moments ago, there’s clearly an understanding—a way of life. We thought the infected were mindless creatures that continuously searched for food, no thought process behind their actions. Today, I’m proven wrong. The ones in the back resemble what we’re used to seeing, but Jeff and the ones like him are completely new to us.

  Jeff turns his burning eyes to me once he gains submission from the others. Surprisingly, his face softens, as much as pasty yellow, red-veined skin can. His appearance causes me to shiver. He doesn’t come to me right away; instead, he adds more wood to the fire. The flames flicker higher, carrying heat through my body, and with it, realization. The confused inhuman beings that once took over our family and friends, now resemble humanized wild beings. Jeff continues to poke and prod at the fire before glancing back over to me. I remain silent, refusing to break eye contact. Instead of approaching me, he turns and leaves the cave again.

  A sigh leaves my lips as my eyes dart around the room. The infected in the back cower together, falling asleep in a pile, while the ones in beds pull their chained humans closer to them. Understanding dawns. These humans are slaves of the infected.

  Before I can speak and ask what’s going on, Jeff is back, dragging a large black bundle. As he passes each bed, the infected submit, bowing down in their pallets. My back burns with fire as I shove against the cave wall, scraping my shredded skin. There’s nowhere for me to retreat.

  Jeff moves straight to me, pulling me as if I weigh nothing to the edge of the bed, blocking me. I’m stuck between him and rock as he pulls the tattered remains of my shirt from my body.

  “No!” I say, and turn to escape. There’s little room to maneuver, making it easy for him to turn me back around to face the cave wall.

  He grunts at me in warning, telling me not to move again.

  I’m about to protest when I feel a cold wet cloth hit my back. I screech in pain and shock. A few wipes in and the pain subsides. The initial cold surprises me, but now I’m stunned that Jeff is taking the time to clean my wounds. Gently, for that matter. His actions confuse me. Each time I encounter him, he’s different.

  A dry cloth touches my back, cleaning up the wetness, and shortly after, a new shirt hangs over my head and my arms are pulled through their holes. I’m speechless. I can only contemplate his motives and stare at the wall, motionless.

  He moves me again, standing me next to the bed. The new shirt drapes over me, hitting mid-thigh, and begins pulling at the button on my pants. Grunting again as I protest, he pins both my hands behind my back easily. My eyes frantically search the room for help. The man in the bed next to me lays silently as he shakes his head, telling me to cooperate. I’m completely ashamed and exhausted. After the fight at the cave, being drug here, and then having my world shattered again has taken its toll. Where would I run if I happen to escape? Now’s not the time to fight.

  I remain motionless as Jeff drops to his knees, pulling each of my feet free from my pants. I tilt my head back and close my eyes, waiting for the inevitable as his hands glide up my legs once they’re bare. He purrs, signaling his appreciation.

  Moments later, a warmth surrounds my toes as they’re encased in thick socks. The action’s a shock, forcing me to glance down at Jeff. His yellow-boiled face looks back at me. His eyes are black, surrounded by red veins, but they hold no threat. He continues to watch me as he slips my feet into a pair of sweatpants. They’re several sizes too big, but he cinches them around my waist so they won’t fall.

  The words slip from my lips with hope. “Please…let me go.”

  The softness in his eyes disappears, replaced by the hard edge of an infected. He growls low and threatening, staring me down as he stands slowly. I’m the threat now.

  “No,” he growls out, turning from me.

  Small shivers rack my body. As much as I try to hide the fear, it seeps through without intention. Jeff unravels the rest of the large black item he brought in earlier and tugs me roughly over to him. Covering me with it, he leans down so his face is inches from mine, watching, calculating my next move. The bear hide is heavy as I pull it under my chin, my only form of defense.

  He leans in closer and purrs again as he scents me, nuzzling the crook of my neck. “Mine.”

  “I’ll never be yours,” I whisper.

  He hears me, because his purr takes on a tremor, right before he whispers in my ear, “No. Mine.”

  Turning away from his disgusting face, I hold back the sob that threatens to tear free.

  Jeff tucks the edges of the pelt around me before positioning me closest to the fire. He doesn’t get in the blankets himself. Instead, he spoons me from behind. My body is tense, poised to escape, but fatigue is clawing at me.

  The room is relatively silent, except for the occasional shuffle of bodies and the crackling fire. The calm informs me that this is routine; the humans know what the infected expect of them. Through the flames, I meet the eyes of the man that saved me from my first fate. There’s no infected perched on his bed. I glance from him to the dead body that’s still lying in the middle of the room and back again, asking a wordless question.

  The man holds one finger to his lips, asking for silence, while nodding and answering my question. The dead infected was his captor.

  What’s going to happen to him now?

  Chapter 3

  Ian

  Pain greets me before I realize I’m conscious, eating away at my hands, feet, and face. Everything is tight, burning on almost every surface. The pain in my hands and feet is so intense, it’s blinding. I attempt to move my finger and toes, but they’re swollen and extremely sore.

  I groan.

  Seconds after the sound echoes in my room, Michael’s at my side. “Shh…you’re okay.” H
e hovers above me, blocking out the light so I can crack my lids. “Don’t try to move. You have frostbite blisters covering your appendages and face. We’ve given you painkillers while you were unconscious, but you can’t move or you’ll pop them. They have to heal on their own.”

  Hearing his words, my struggles cease. Realization gnaws my insides, shredding my heart. The torment that’s raging through my body has no escape. Pressure builds in my chest, ready to explode. “Give me a minute?” I manage through the tightness in my throat.

  “Sure.” His look of pity, paired with his soft touch, signals his exit from the room.

  With each beat of my heart, a new picture flashes across my closed lids. Lillie smiling, the color of her hair, the feel of her skin against mine. The horror in her eyes as they dragged her away. My breath heaves in and out of my chest, my lungs burning with their exertion. Ignoring the pain, I lift my hands up to get a look. Each finger is ballooned out, blisters covering their entire surface. Energy is seeping out of me like heat. The drive to find her isn’t enough, not with the injuries I’ve sustained. It was stupid of me to stay out there so long, and now I’m going to have to heal before searching again. The helplessness that engulfs me doesn’t go away as the curtain to my room moves and James enters.

  He silently sits next to me, and finally, I build up enough courage to meet his red-rimmed gaze. His cheeks are dry and cracked, but I’m glad he made it home before any damage took root.

  “Azami?” I croak. Mason was holding her, crying in his arms, before I burst from the cave in search of her mother.

  His nods slowly. “She’s okay. Couple raspberries on her elbows, but nothing major. She says she remembers Jeff, and she cries for Lillie. She wants to know when she’s coming home.”

  “Jesus…” What the hell am I going to tell my daughter? “What’d you tell her?”

  He pauses, studying his fingers. “I don’t lie to her.” He meets my eyes. “Besides, I don’t know how to hide my thoughts from her like Lil so I told her the truth, that the infected came in and took her. That when you’re better, we’re going to get her back from them.”

  My eyes close tight, wishing our lives were different, safer. “How did she react?”

  “She cried. She misses her.”

  I nod, wishing I had the ability to change this outcome. Azami’s been kept out of as much danger as possible, but in our new world, even at a young age, kids should know what they’re up against.

  “How are you? It looks painful,” James asks, nodding toward my injuries.

  “It is.” I pause a moment, before whispering, “I’m sorry.”

  Anger floods the room, wafting off James like a living thing. “Stop. None of this is your fault. And as soon as you’re better, we’re going to find her and bring her home.” His determination swarms after the anger. “You have time to heal. It’s still snowing. There’s about three feet out there now and it’s not letting up.”

  I groan in response. Waiting is going to kill me, but the throbbing in my hands and feet tell me I have no choice in the matter. “How long am I out for?”

  “I’m not sure. Michael said the blisters will go down after about a week, but he said there’s a chance they could get infected if you don’t keep them clean. I’ll go get him in a few minutes so he can explain more.”

  “Thanks,” I reply.

  “We’re going to find her.” James locks eyes with me. The expression on his face is convincing.

  “I have no doubt,” I say. I’ll find her if it’s the last thing I do.

  A few minutes later, James excuses himself and sends Michael back in. I’m alert now, ready to hear when I’ll be back on my feet. When Michael sits next to my bed on a small stool, his facial features tell me I’m not going to like his response.

  “Just get it over with and tell me.” I stare at the reddish-brown cave ceiling, waiting to hear my outcome.

  “It’s not good, but it could’ve been worse.” He collects himself for a moment. Everyone else loves Lillie just as much as we do and is struggling themselves. “I don’t think you’ll lose anything. There’s no blackening of the frostbite areas, and I’m sure you’ve noticed the blisters. They’re large and full of puss, but you can’t scratch or rub them ’cause you don’t want them to burst. They’ll eventually break on their own during the healing process. Once they do, you’ll look like your shedding. You can’t pull the skin off either, it’ll come off on its own. Be diligent when it comes to inspecting them. If infection is going to take root, it’s usually during this state. Check your wounds every day and let me know immediately if you notice any darkening areas. Those will require amputation to avoid spreading. Once the blisters pop, I want you going to the pool to soak. This will help the skin remove itself and replenish underneath. You getting this?”

  “Yeah,” I murmur.

  “Luke told us what happened.” His voice is getting angry. “You should’ve come back. You could have died out there, and now look at you.” He stands, pacing the small space next to me.

  “I didn’t have time,” I reply simply.

  He growls down at me, his eyes livid. “You’re no help to her dead.”

  His words rock me. “What if they’d taken Jen? What then, brother?”

  Michael stops mid-step and turns toward me, his features softening. Sitting back down, he runs his hand down his face and sighs loudly. “I understand, I do, but we could have lost more of you.”

  “More of us?” I’ve been so caught up in losing Lil, I didn’t think about who else we may have lost during the invasion. “Who’d we lose?”

  He visibly swallows before answering. “Five are dead. Jake, Harris, Shelly, Marie, and Josie didn’t make it. Zack’s injured, broke his arm. Lil, we both know was taken, and others have small injuries.” Michael’s shoulders sag.

  “They came for her. All her visions were warnings that we couldn’t piece together in time. Jeff set this plan to come for her specifically. I don’t know why, but I don’t think he’ll kill her.” But I also don’t want to think about what else he wanted her for.

  The last thought passes between us silently.

  “We’ll get her back.” Michael’s voice is sure.

  “How long am I out of commission for?” Using my elbows, I sit up straighter.

  Apprehension covers his face again. “It’ll be a while. I’m not talking days or weeks, but probably months. You’re lucky you still have your hands and feet.”

  The weight of it all squares itself right on top of my chest, crushing me with his answer. I don’t have that long. Lillie doesn’t have that long. “Are you sure?” The words choke free.

  “Yes. The blisters will pop in about a week, maybe longer for the larger ones. I’m not going to lie, it’ll hurt. After that, the skin will start to repair itself, causing the skin to shed off, kind of like a snake. Once that’s done, your new skin will be very sensitive. You’ll require help moving until your new skin has thickened; otherwise, you can damage yourself further.” He gives me a moment to absorb the information. “We all want her back,” he says quietly. “But you have to take care of yourself too. There are others here that rely on you and can’t have you offing yourself by being stupid.”

  His words are like a smack in the face. I know Azami and James need me, but it’s hard to think past my own pain. “James said Azami only has scratches. Did you check her out? She hit the ground hard.”

  “She was the first person in to see me. She cried a lot, but she only has scrapes. She landed just right and then hit the water. It mostly scared her.”

  I nod, grateful. “What about the others? Give me a report.” Now that my brain is functioning correctly, I realize there’s much to accomplish, even if I’m ordering people from bed.

  Michael relays the entire event from start to finish, like he needs to give us both a recap. The infected gained entrance to the cave, while most were out paying their respects to Dane and Rosie. They may have used their deaths as a decoy. Once the i
nfected gained entrance they came at us hard, seeming from all angles. Jeff used his knowledge of the cave’s layout to give them the upper hand. Shelly and Harris were hit by surprise walking back from the river; they didn’t stand a chance. The infected killed them instantly. Josie rushed to help and found herself in the same predicament. We cleared the infected from the main cavern when we rushed to find Lillie and Azami. We discovered Quinn laying in the middle of the tunnel, his wounds bleeding through his wraps, with an infected and Jake dead next to him. Quinn was in and out of consciousness, but lucid enough to tell us that an infected took Azami, and Lillie rushed after them. After Lillie left him, another infected attacked. Jake charged in from the outer tunnel and fought the thing away from Quinn, but right as Jake stabbed the creature, another bit him in the neck, effectively killing him before Quinn could warn him. The infected must have thought Quinn dead, since he left him on the cave floor unconscious. Once we made it to the cavern, we found Jeff holding my daughter by the back of the neck while Lillie threatened him. They struck a deal as more infected descended upon us. During the confrontation, Jeff threw Azami to the side, discarding her as if she were a piece of trash. Lillie screamed and attempted to get to Azami, but Jeff snagged her legs out from under her and dragged her into the darkness.

  The scene flashes before my eyes, reliving it like a graphic novel forever playing in my mind. I close my eyes to fight off the pain, not only in my limbs but in my heart too. My entire being wants to implode, imagining what she’s going through, and there’s nothing I can do about it. A silent scream builds in my chest until it bubbles over, and I roar out my pain, my frustrations, my heartache. When my voice can no longer carry the weight of my sorrow, I’m alone. Michael slipped out of the room without my knowledge, leaving me alone with my thoughts of her, and how the hell I’m going to find her.

  ~~~

  Over the next couple days, I begin to gain strength. The blisters on my face are shallow and have already popped. My cheeks, nose, and the tip of my ears are bright red and peeling like snake skin. They’re painful and sensitive to the touch when Michael inspects them. Swollen to over twice their normal size, my hands and feet are still erupting in pain. Blisters that resemble balloons of skin cover their surfaces. My entire body is aching. Michael’s able to give me small doses of pain reliever, but we only have a short supply, and I refuse any extra. James keeps the fire in my room warm, since I still can’t get up and move. Standing on my blistered feet isn’t an option, forcing me to use a bed pan, and have others wait on me.