Project Terminal: Devil's Virus

by Starke, Olivia

  He dragged Doc toward the front door and unceremoniously shoved her outside. He locked the door and waited. There was a brief exchange between Doc and General while he offered a prayer to God to keep them safe.

  “Are you insane? I won’t authorize it. I realize we aren’t best friends, but she’s my sister,” Doc said.

  “And they held you hostage. This is a good opportunity to see how well they do,” General replied. “Your sister’s a wild card we don’t need to deal with.”

  They? Reed wasn’t sure who ‘they’ were and he didn’t like being in the dark.

  “I told you to stay away from here, I could handle it.”

  Then motors started one by one, drowning out the rest of the conversation, and the caravan turned around. The yard emptied, the line of vehicles disappearing down the road.

  His legs shook and he slid down the front door. Max joined him, dropping down on her knees. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap.

  * * * *

  Max couldn’t stop the flood of tears streaming down her cheeks. Reed cooed soothing words to her, but after so many days of stress, she indulged in the minor breakdown. His lips found hers and the kiss provided just the distraction she craved. She snuggled closer, opening to him, letting him sweep her away. His offering was too good to ignore—the chance to forget about the hell they’d been through the last few days. His tongue stroked hers in a ritual mating and she caught it between her teeth, sucking it. Reed moaned, pushing her back to the floor, the heavy weight of his body pressing her into the woolen rug beneath them.

  “Max,” he whispered against her mouth.

  “I don’t want to think right now.” She pulled his mouth back to hers, savoring every second. He wedged his hips between her thighs and she spread wide for him, wrapping her legs around his hips. He moved into her, the ridge of his cock rubbing her through their jeans. The tease sent her spiraling and she clawed at his shirt, wanting nothing between them. He drew back and pulled his shirt over his head, and she did the same with hers.

  She kicked at her jeans, getting tangled in them. Reed grabbed the denim, tugging until she freed herself. Thirty seconds later they were both naked and she savored the sight of him, taking in every inch in slow measure. Absolute perfection right down to his darkened blue eyes which devoured her head to toe.

  “You’re incredible, Max.” He moved on her, and she lay back as he kissed a scorching trail over her collarbone. “I can’t say that enough, I have to taste every inch of your skin.” His tongue darted out, drawing languid circles over her flesh, and her nipples puckered.

  Ragged pants escaped her throat and she arched, wanting more stimulation than his slow tease offered. He cupped her breasts, flicking his thumbs over the sensitized nipples until she writhed. When he sucked one between his lips a choked sob tore from her throat and she ground into his pelvis. The tip of his cock teased her pussy, but he denied her the satisfaction.

  She raked her nails over his shoulders and down his back. “You’re driving me crazy, Preacher.”

  “Not yet I’m not.” He moved down her stomach raining kisses until he stopped just above where she needed him the most. The tip of his tongue shot out, flicking over her clit.

  She cried out, bucking into his face. He maintained feathery strokes, working her into a mindless frenzy. The loving wasn’t rushed, and he took his time tracing her inner and outer labia. She dug her nails into the rug, biting her top lip, trying to keep from flying to pieces. He delved deeper, the broad of his tongue rough. He took her fully with his mouth; his lips, teeth, and tongue everywhere.

  Max couldn’t get enough, wanting to both melt beneath him and escape the delirious desire building within. He worked a finger within her walls, thrusting it deep while sucking her clit. She couldn’t hold herself together, and in a fiery burst, the orgasm hit. She screamed his name and he moved over her, mounting her, thrusting his cock inside, enhancing the pleasure. She met his thrusts, gripping him tight between her legs, grasping his shoulders for leverage. When she thought for sure he’d lose it, he pulled out, leaving her empty. She gasped, reaching for him. He rolled her over and pulled her to her knees before entering her from behind. He held her hips, plunging hilt deep again, taking her to new heights. His grunts joined her sobs and when he reached under her and rubbed his fingertips over her clit, she came again, robbing her of the rest of her strength. His harsh cry filled her ears as he found release.

  Chapter 8

  Max stretched out on her stomach, catching her breath. Adam lay next to her on his back, equally winded. “We were always good together,” he said.

  “Yes, we were.” She licked her lips and rolled onto her back. “I think we still are.”

  Adam looked to her flushed face. What did he want with the scientist now? He couldn’t deny the incredible sex, nor could he deny the remnants of the emotions he held for her. Or maybe not just remnants, the intensity of them seemed too fresh to be old memories. He reached for her, pulling her into a spoon, craving more closeness. She didn’t resist and melded against him.

  “What now?” she asked.

  It took a few moments to work out whether she meant in their relationship, or with Project Terminal. Of course she’d mean the latter. “Get the cure. It’s what we’re here for.”

  “I hadn’t realized how much work had gotten done before Doug…” She swallowed. “He has good information for me to follow up on. He’d done experiments with undead blood as well as samples of his own, narrowing down the infection sites on a healthy cell.” She caught his confused look. “Thanks to Doug’s work, combined with the info Damian salvaged from Headquarters, I didn’t have to do nearly as much work as I anticipated. I’m almost there. If Doug hadn’t died, he would’ve had a cure by now.”

  “I don’t think anyone in the project is as smart as you.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “You give me too much credit. Outside of my suggestions of which viruses to use, the others had as much claim to the glory as me.”

  “Making the entire outbreak not solely your responsibility.”

  She frowned, apparently not liking him shifting the blame. “That doesn’t lessen my role. Those deaths are still on me.”

  “You’ll have to let that go someday or it’ll eat you alive.”

  “I’ll let it go when no one else dies.”

  He knew even then she wouldn’t, and until the day she died she’d remember each and every person who’d fallen from R1LN. A shame since he blamed her sister for the brunt of it.

  He nuzzled the side of her neck, inhaling her powdery soft scent. Since taking residence in the house, without running water they’d taken sponge baths with baby wipes. His head swam with her, having her once wasn’t enough and he sought her lips. She moaned, pulling him closer, and they wrapped around one another again. He picked her up, carrying her to the sofa they’d made love on the first time. She straddled his hips and their union was a slow sensual one, expressing what he still felt for her. When they came together she collapsed against him, and he held her close, never wanting to give her up. Not again.

  * * * *

  Adam awoke with instincts instantly on alert. Darkness cloaked the room and everything lay silent except for Max’s soft breathing from the sofa. Then he heard what’d woken him, a rustling outside near the home. It sounded like it was coming from the overgrown juniper, meaning whatever it was crept right next to the house. Much too close for his comfort. He eased upright, training his directional hearing to locate the position of the intruder. His altered eyesight adjusted, setting everything in black and white relief while he made his way soundlessly to a window. He searched the shifting shadows until he finally found the source of the noise.

  Son of a bitch. He left the window and stopped next to the sofa, shaking Max’s arm. Her eyes popped open and he covered her mouth with his hand. “We have undead outside, stay quiet.”

  She nodded and he removed his hand.

  “What are we goi
ng to do?” she whispered.

  He lowered his face until a breath away from hers to keep his voice low as possible. “I’m going to go out the front door and circle around to pick them off. You need to stay down on the floor in the middle of the room in case one of my bullets misses.”

  Her eyes gleamed white in the murk and she shook her head. “No, you can’t go outside, are you crazy?”

  “This is what I do, I’m a sniper, remember?” He couldn’t resist dropping a kiss to her lips. She sucked in a breath as if to speak, but luckily, she remained quiet.

  Adam grabbed his rifle and made for the front door. He peered through the windows facing the porch, not seeing any movement. He released the locks, wincing as they clicked, the sound loud as a cannon’s blast. Afterward, he slipped out. He took a wide circle around the house, slipping into the tree line for cover. Four undead skulked around the home, not too many to take out. He lined up his scope on one, and it dropped with a bullet to its head. He took out the second and third, but the fourth darted out of his line of sight.

  Movement to the left caught his attention; three more appeared from the night.

  “Damn it.” He aimed and took out all three, but unbelievably two more appeared. His heart hammered in his chest and he wiped sweat out of his eyes. “Where are they coming from?”

  They kept coming until his bullets were spent and he was royally screwed. He had more ammo in his Jeep and he dashed in its direction only to be blocked by the growing mob. He dodged and took a wide berth, trying to approach from the back. He found a rock and pitched it high in the air. When it hit the ground within the trees, the undead zeroed in, moving toward it. Reed grabbed the ammo, reloaded, and emptied his rifle into the group. He was out of ammo, it hadn’t occurred to him to bring enough to fell an entire army. He stomped back to the house, frustration making his anger simmer.

  “Oh my God, are you okay?” Max asked as he entered the house.

  “One got loose, the rest are dead.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. “Hell, I don’t know where they came from. They just swarmed out of the woods. This isn’t good.”

  She covered her mouth with her hands. “The virus is spreading too fast.”

  “We can contain it, Max.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “It’s not a lost cause yet.”

  Her wide eyes shone with tears. “It’s my fault, all of it.”

  A huge crash sounded from the other end of the house, the sound of a window breaking. A loud hissing squeal followed.

  Adam bared his teeth. “One of those things got in.”

  Chapter 9

  Max hated hiding, but Reed had shoved her in the dining room, feeling it was the safest area of the home. Only one doorway in while the other rooms had two—outside of hiding in a closet, this was their best strategy. She needed to work, but how the hell would she do that now? It wasn’t her own neck she was concerned about, it was Reed’s. Despite knowing his super soldier abilities, she was terrified for him. Just one scratch from the undead and he’d be infected. Twelve hours later he’d be a rabid monster and she knew she wouldn’t have the ability to kill him. To top it off, he’d run out of bullets. Reed had to take his knife on the hunt, making it infinitely more dangerous for him. She grasped a crowbar with directions to stab the thing through the head if it got to her.

  She heard a clatter upstairs and rapid footfalls quickly after. Reed moved silently so it wouldn’t have been him. “Crap.”

  Did Reed know where it was? What if he didn’t and it got the drop on him? Horrible mental images flashed through her mind of the undead sinking its teeth into his jugular. Then having to watch the Marine succumb to R1LN, and every bit of it her fault.

  She made for the doorway and tiptoed through the lower level of the home toward the huge staircase at its center. She kept her ears trained for any noise as she took the flight one stair at a time—pausing between each step to listen. A slow process but it felt necessary. She might get in Reed’s way, but she couldn’t leave him alone, not when she knew for sure where to find the undead. And she hated feeling the coward. She’d never been much of a fighter, that’d always been her twin’s avenue of defense. Max preferred negotiation. She’d gotten beat up a few times in grade school, but always felt the better person for not throwing punches. Even at a young age.

  At the top of the stairs she listened again, straining her ears for any giveaway of movement, holding tight to the crowbar. She needed to go left, and pressed her back to the wall, sidling sideways. Something rustled, much like a curtain, in the first room. She reached for the doorknob and twisted. It clicked and she paused, holding her breath, running an attack strategy through her mind. Smash the undead in the head with the crowbar, then call Reed for help. A weak offense, but what else did she have? All was still, so she inched the door open, trying to see inside. The heavy brocade curtains kept light from seeping in, and it took several seconds for her eyes to adjust.

  She gasped, but the thing was on her before she could back away. It knocked her back onto her butt, the crowbar flying away, its teeth gnashing for her throat. She couldn’t find enough air to breath; the thing’s stench robbed her of oxygen, a combination of rotted flesh and human waste. She shoved at its chest, and its attention snapped up. It bolted down the hall and leapt through the window. It took several seconds to realize what’d scared it away.

  “Christ, Max, what the hell are you doing?” Reed knelt next to her. “I told you to stay in the dining room.”

  Max looked over her hands and arms. Outside of being scared out of her wits she remained unscathed. “I heard it from downstairs, and I didn’t know if you were aware of its location.”

  His face was drawn in a mix of anger and concern. “There are only so many rooms up here. I would’ve found it eventually.”

  Feeling both foolish and defensive, she lifted her chin, refusing his help to get to her feet. “I’m not incapable, Preacher. I can handle myself.”

  “I could see that about thirty seconds ago.”

  “You know what, go to hell.” She stomped toward the staircase.

  “I think we’re already there, sweetheart.”

  She spun on him and marched over to jab a finger into his chest. “Okay, Mr. High and Mighty. You think you’re so superior to everyone, but let me tell you a thing or two. I took care of myself after you left. Sure, I made a horrendous mistake, but I didn’t run from it. I’ve been fighting it since I left the project. If you hadn’t come along I’m sure I would’ve eventually found what I needed, with Damian’s help.”

  He sneered. “Damian Gonsalves? You two looked pretty damn chummy in the barn, you have a thing going with him?”

  Her mouth fell open. “W-what…were you spying on us?”

  “I wanted to know what I was walking into. And stay away from Gonsalves.”

  “You can’t control who I associate with, Preacher. Damian’s certainly a head above you. He’s actually in love with someone. Laura, the immune woman. I don’t believe you’ve ever been capable of love.”

  “Oh yeah? You think so? Well you know a piss load about me, ’cause I was in love with you.”

  The words were a blow to her gut, and she stumbled back from him. He cursed and turned away from her.

  “You…you were in love with me?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “But you left me.”

  “You were in love with your work. I couldn’t compete.”

  She felt numb. “You should’ve told me. Things might’ve been different.”

  He spun on her, his eyes burning. “Tell me you could’ve put me first, beyond the twisted science experiments you were conducting.”

  “It wouldn’t have been fair to make me choose. I was doing something I really believed in. If things would’ve worked out it could’ve saved so many people. People like my father—if his injured arm hadn’t gotten gangrene he’d still be alive today.”

  Reed deflated. “God has reasons beyond what we can comprehend, Ma
x.”

  “Don’t. Just don’t.” She stormed downstairs and back to her lab to bury herself in work.

  * * * *

  Adam felt like a real ass. He walked over to the broken window, staring down at the ground. Blood dripped from the broken pane, the trail would be easy to follow. He went back downstairs, avoiding the dining room, and headed out the front door. He found the trail of red drops and smears following the undead toward the woods. It wasn’t too difficult to find and he had his knife through its head in short order. With nothing left to take his attention, he made his way back to the house. He regretted telling Max he’d been in love with her, and honestly, his feelings hadn’t really changed. She’d seeped into his pores, and it would take months to work her out of his system again.

  He hung around outside as long as he could. The upstairs window needed to be boarded up and he searched until he found some lumber in a shed along with a hammer and nails. He went back inside and repaired the window. When he’d cleaned up, putting the broken glass into a bucket, he carried it out. While outside, he piled up the corpses, and using a little of the generator’s fuel, lit a huge funeral pier. When the flames receded, he went back inside and walked to the dining room, leaning a hip against the doorway, watching Max work. She stared through a microscope adjusting dials.

  “Interesting,” she mumbled. “I hadn’t thought of this.” She switched slides out. “Laura, you clever girl.”

  “Find something useful?”

  She jumped and looked over her shoulder then away. “I think so, but it’ll take another couple of days to know for sure.”

  He tried to smile, but his face felt frozen. “We have time.”

  “I’m not so sure of that. With the rate of infection I can’t take too much more time.”

  He wanted her talking. “How is Laura immune to something like this?”

  “Viruses attach to receptors on cells to reproduce themselves, and Laura has a mutation making it difficult for the virus to really take hold. She suffered symptoms of infection, but her body was able to fight it off since it hadn’t reproduced enough. She had rabies shots a year before, but I don’t feel that had an impact on her immunity. Her natural abilities are the key.”