by D. J. Molles
"Sorry. You're right. And we have it better than most."
Lee nodded. "We'll make it."
Angela stood up. She turned to leave, but stopped and looked at Lee. "Honestly, do you think we'll survive?"
Lee met her stare unflinchingly, though he took a second to consider the question before answering. Did he really think they had a chance? The survivability of the plague was almost nil. The projections for human casualties that he'd received in his mission brief were what could only be described as Biblical. Did he truly believe that he and some survivors could turn the tide of the infection, could fight back against brutal nature?
He nodded. "It's going to be a tough road, but we'll make it."
Angela accepted Lee's foretelling with a weak smile. Whether she really believed it, or accepted it simply because it was a more pleasant to believe in, Lee didn't know. For that matter, he had to ask the same question of himself.
He finished his rice and beans and his bottle of water.
The food felt like a brick on his stomach, but the water helped soften it. He was still dehydrated, but at least was recovering. He switched sides and laid down, careful not to pull at his stitches or mess up his dressings. He stared at the corrugated steel wall across from him and tried to construct plans that would help him and the Camp Ryder group survive, but he was tired and his thinking was muddy.
Eventually he fell into a dark sleep. It was full of sounds but he couldn't see, like he was staring into a black hole, but could hear everything around him. He heard the roar of an unstoppable fire and the cries for help of every victim it consumed. The cries were at first distinguishable from each other, but they steadily grew so numerous that it was one single, sustained note of panic and excruciating pain. The maddening sound of screaming turned into the throaty screech of the infected, and Lee thought to his dream-self, who are the real victims in all of this? The infected, or the survivors?
Gunfire startled him awake. His dreams had become reality.
END OF BOOK ONE
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The story continues in Book Two...
The Remaining: Aftermath
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