Paroxysm (Book 2): Paroxysm Aftermath

by Ashleigh Reynolds

  Jaxton turned his attention back to Gemi who still slept peacefully. At least he hoped it was peacefully. He ran his fingers through her hair, wishing she were there with him. In more than body.

  He propped his elbows on his knees and stared out into the darkness. They had followed parallel with the path and just as she had mentioned, it intersected with a river. They had no choice but to travel up to the trail and pass over the bridge before wandering back off. Now they were using the river as a guide.

  As he sat in silence, the sound of flowing water in the distance drifted to them. It was a soft lulling sound that made him think of happier times. It seemed like yesterday he taught her how to fish. She was so clumsy and adorable as she struggled to navigate the current. He sighed and rubbed his temples. He understood it wasn't real, but it was one of the few good memories he had rolling around in his brain.

  The universe seemed intent on giving him a slice of happiness only to turn around and make things infinitely worse. In the eerie calm of the woods, it all crashed in. He replayed the night in the server room over and over. He had been so reluctant to believe what she was telling him that he let her walk into danger alone. And when he came to his sense, he still hesitated. One pull of the trigger and the world would be a very different place. A lot of people would be alive.

  Sann snored and rolled over so that his back was to him. The man could sleep through anything as if he didn’t have a care and no conscience to go along with it. There was no way in hell he would allow him to keep watch. Not after his actions earlier in the day.

  Jaxton slumped into the tree. It was going to be a long night.

  Jaxton was up and ready just as the first steaks of sunlight peeked through the trees. Gemi slept through the night and that had him teetering on relieved and worried. He had no idea how much medicine to administer and it certainly didn't come with directions. On more than one occasion he checked to make sure she was still breathing. There was no need to guess with Sann. He could wake the dead with his snoring.

  “Wake up!” he barked and kicked the bag out from under him.

  Sann choked midsnore and then groaned as his head smacked the ground. Jaxton smiled in satisfaction and walked back to grab Gemi.

  “What the hell, man?” he said rubbing his head.

  “Time to go.”

  Jaxton didn't stick around for him to get ready. He would catch up. They had a longer leg of the journey and he was growing antsy. And considering the fact that he didn’t sleep and carried a person the whole previous day, he was also exhausted and sore.

  After hours of walking, the terrain changed. The ground sloped up. Trees were replaced by rocks and grass. They found themselves with less cover and a hike that was not only harder, but took longer with the added burden of Gemi on his shoulder.

  Sann walked ahead of him. He swayed from side to side as he whistled an annoyingly upbeat tune. The sun was only partially up and already it was sweltering. Without the full tree cover it beat down on them. That was all they needed, dehydration.

  The river had curved off miles ago. They were relying solely on Sann's interpretation of the map. The land had changed over the years. There was no telling what now lay between them and the facility. If the facility even existed.

  Gemi moaned on his shoulder. It was the first sound she made since the night before and his chest tightened at the realization that he would need to drug her again. He couldn't have her acting like a maniac out in the open.

  He shifted her into his arms and placed her on the ground. Her eyes were still closed but her fingers were making a weird jerking motion as though she was trying to claw at something in her sleep.

  No doubt one of their faces.

  With a sigh he pulled out the vial of sedative and the needle. He only eyeballed it before, but was certain that he had filled the syringe about halfway. He didn't want to overdose her so he cut the dose in half and plunged the needle into her neck. After one strangled breath she stilled.

  Sann hadn't waited for him so he practically had to jog to catch up. He was running on steam. He had once heard the term hitting a wall and he was definitely there. His ribs ached with each breath. Every muscle in his legs was cramping and shaking. There was no doubt that he would have to give in and ask for help if the damn building wasn’t there. He wouldn’t make it home otherwise.

  Sann stopped when he was a few feet behind him and placed his hands on his hips. “Well, that's not on the map.”

  Jaxton came to a stop beside him and felt his stomach drop when he saw the chain-link fence with a sign that read Condemned in bold letters.

  “Is this where the base is supposed to be?” he asked.

  Sann just nodded and stared ahead.

  “I don't even see a building.”

  “Maybe they bulldozed it,” Sann offered.

  They both walked up to the fence together and peered through diamond-shaped pattern. Far off in the distance a distinct outline of a building stood up against the skyline. There was no way to tell if it was in safe to enter. Or if the mainframe was inside. But they traveled all the way there so a fence and warning sign wasn't about to stop them from trying.

  “How are we going to get over with you know?” Sann motioned to Gemi and looked down the length of the fence.

  “I'm not sure, but climbing is out of the question.”

  “There’s no point in roaming around searching for an entrance. Why don't you two wait here and I'll go look inside? The damn mainframe may not even be in there anymore anyways.”

  “Absolutely not,” Jaxton said as he repositioned Gemi for the hundredth time.

  Splitting up was how people got killed.

  “Well, do you have any other bright ideas?”

  “You have an ax, right?”

  Sann glanced down at the ax hanging from his waist and then at Jaxton. “Oh yeah, and knock myself out when it ricochets?”

  Jaxton shrugged. “Either that or we find a weak spot.”

  Sann ground his teeth together before relenting and turning back to the gate with a growl. He wandered to the nearest post and tugged at the metal looking for a weak spot. When he didn't find anything he moved farther down to the next post. At the rate it was going it would take all day.

  Jaxton shielded his eyes and squinted down the length of the fence in the opposite direction. The sun was blinding now and made it near impossible to see far off with the way it bounced off the metal.

  “I found something!” Sann called.

  Jaxton was just about to turn his way when a dark speck in the distance caught his eye. Scratch that. Several dark specks that appeared to be headed in their direction at a hurried pace.

  “Uh, we got trouble!” he shouted.

  Metal scratching on metal drowned out his call. Jaxton backstepped toward Sann as another strike from the ax rang out. There was no doubt about it. There was a group of people running toward them. He had only one guess who they were and what they wanted. And it wasn't a cheerful chat.

  The ax came down again and Jaxton spun on his heel, running as fast as he could to Sann. When he reached him, Sann had made little progress. There was a small hole that he had carved out by separating the tie wires from the post so he could peel it away. It would have to do.

  “We gotta go,” he said as Sann was midswing.

  He pivoted to face him somewhat confused, but then he looked past him and took in what Jaxton already had.

  “Yup.” He forced the ax into his belt and flung his bag through. “I'll go in and you slide her to me.”

  “Quickly,” Jaxton called, but he was already halfway through. At least if he got Gemi through he could stall and buy them time.

  He stole another glance over his shoulder. They were closing the distance fast.

  “Give her to me,” Sann yelled, drawing his attention.

  He slid her off of his shoulder and fed her through the hole feetfirst. It was a hell of a lot harder than it sounded. Her clothing kept getting caught on th
e wires and in their haste they weren't the slightest bit in sync with their movements. They almost dropped her more than once causing Jaxton to bite his tongue and silently apologize. She would be utterly humiliated and beyond pissed if she was aware of what was going on.

  At last Sann had her in his grasp and Jaxton made quick work of sliding through the hole. Jaxton took Gemi back in his arms and took off the moment Sann had slung his backpack on.

  The affected arrived in a whirlwind of commotion moments after they took off running. He heard them screaming. Heard them slam into the fence. And, after a few moments of it creaking and thrashing under their weight, heard it give out.

  “Fuck,” Sann called and shot Jaxton a sideways glance.

  There was no time to think about anything. They just needed to run. He could see the building growing larger as they raced toward it. Condemned or not, they just needed to make it. It would be easier to fight them off if he had both his hands and places to use as cover.

  “Almost there!” Sann called.

  Something flew past Jaxton's head. He didn't pause to look. Didn't want to know. The distinct sound of metal on gravel was all he needed to hear to know that it could cause bodily harm and they were the targets.

  “They are throwing knives at us!” Sann bellowed and ducked to the side as another knife flew past him.

  Apparently he did need to know.

  The building loomed right in front of them and thankfully wasn't surrounded by another gate. The front door however was boarded shut. He scanned the area and saw a sidewalk that lead around the right side of the building. There had to be a side entrance.

  “To the right!” Jaxton called.

  Sann nodded and changed direction. When they rounded the corner and got sight of a door Sann sped up, racing in front of him to get to it first.

  Jaxton saw him try the handle. Watched him throw his body weight into it. Heard him shout that it was locked. But Jaxton didn't slow down.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Jaxton crashed through the door, throwing his shoulder into it as he swung Gemi's legs out of the way so they wouldn't receive any of the impact.

  “And how are we supposed to lock it behind us now?” Sann screamed as he slid in beside him.

  Just as he had expected, the strike plate ground against the wood as Sann tried to shut it, before falling to the tile with a clank. Jaxton stared at the scratched-up gold metal on the ground as he backstepped with Gemi still in his hands.

  They didn't have time to figure it out.

  Jaxton spun away from it and made his way up the stairs that lay in front of them. They were narrow and steep as they wound upward, the metal surface ringing loudly with each footfall. There had to be another door, another place to hide before the affected got to them.

  Jaxton repositioned Gemi as he took the stairs. As thin as she had become in the past few months, the constant added weight on his body was wearing on him. As he climbed he stole a quick glance at her face to verify that she was still out. That's all he needed was for her to wake up and go after him while he was busy attempting to save their asses.

  The door crashed open below them.

  “Fuck,” Jaxton growled through his heavy breathing.

  “You'd better pray this leads somewhere!” Sann called behind him, his voice not showing any trace of being as winded as Jaxton was.

  He would punch him for that later.

  They rounded the last corner and a door came into view. Jaxton quickly swung Gemi onto his shoulder, internally apologizing to her for the way he was manhandling her, and reached for the doorknob. He gave a silent prayer and twisted it.

  It didn't move.

  His heart dropped to his stomach. They were cornered with nowhere to go and had a wild pack of lunatics hot on their tail. Jaxton turned to Sann, his face expressing all he was feeling.

  “Well, okay then, plan B.” Sann pulled out his pistol and racked it.

  Jaxton winced at the noise as it echoed through the small space. As crazy as the people where, they were still smart enough to recognize the sound of a gun and realize that it would not end well. For anyone.

  There was no way that they would come out of it unscathed. There were at least fifteen of them against him and Sann. They might have had a better shot if Gemi was awake and functioning. The woman could always hit her target. But as it stood, the only thing they could hope for was that the blood of the first people up the stairs sent the others into a frenzy. He had seen it happen before. That was the last thought Jaxton had before the silence was overtaken by the nearing screams and hollers.

  “Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help?” Sann barked over his shoulder.

  Jaxton shook out of his daze and let go of Gemi with one of his hands. He found his firearm at his waist and cocked the hammer back. They were so loud now, so close. Any minute they would round the corner and go in for the kill.

  He squared his shoulders, his breath coming in bursts, and aimed the gun toward the stairs. Just when he was certain they were about to be trampled, he felt the door give way.

  “Move!” he shouted at Sann as he backstepped into the dark room.

  Once he was safely on the inside, three things happened almost simultaneously. Sann slid into the room moments before their mysterious savior closed the door and the things outside slammed full force into it. They yelled and pounded, the force of their fury causing the wood frame to bend and creak. There was no way it would hold them for long.

  Jaxton squinted into the darkness as his eyes adjusted. An older-looking man was standing by the door, his head cocked to the side regarding it with far too much interest. After a few seconds he sighed and touched a button on the wall. A metal panel slid out in front of the door and latched into place, muffling the mentals on the other side and ensuring that they wouldn't make it through.

  Jaxton let out a lungful of air he had been holding.

  The man turned their way and eyeballed them. They must have appeared as crazy as the rest. Jaxton stood with his gun still clenched in his hand and Gemi unconscious on his shoulder. Sann too still clutched his pistol, but was bent over at the waist and breathing heavy.

  Jaxton had to suppress a smile. Guess he wouldn't be getting that punch after all.

  “Well, let's get you three comfortable. No sense hanging around here,” the man said as he walked away from them and headed off into the dark.

  Jaxton turned to Sann who gave a small shrug as he stood back up to his full height.

  “Are you coming?” he called to them as he stepped through another door.

  Jaxton slid the gun back into the holster and pulled Gemi into his arms. Her face was still peaceful despite the chaos they had just been through.

  The man led them through the dark room into a dimly lit hallway that resembled their home base before it was destroyed. It was lined with closed doors and was utterly deserted. In fact, it seemed as if they were the only four in the whole building.

  Sann trailed behind them. Even though they seemed to be safe, he had his gun drawn, gripped with two hands at his waist and at the ready. Jaxton couldn't really blame him after everything they had been through.

  The man stopped in front of one of the doors and produced a set of keys. Jaxton stood a few feet behind him. It was an odd thing to do, lock yourself out of a room. Then again, in this day it was odd to let three strangers inside without knowing who they were or what they wanted.

  He hurried through the door and moved to the side, motioning for them to follow him. Once they had all filed through, he locked the door.

  “Who are you and what are you doing here?” Jaxton asked.

  Sann fell in line with him and leveled his gun at the man. Neither one of them wanted to take any risks with a stranger.

  “I could ask you the same thing,” he barked back, not at all fazed by the hostility that was radiating off of them. He glanced from Jaxton to Sann. “There are no weapons allowed in here.”

  Sann shot Jax
ton a sideways look, but didn’t lower the weapon.

  “I asked who you were and why are you in a military building?”

  “Former military building,” he said, clipping his keys back on his belt.

  At least they would know where to locate them if needed.

  “What's wrong with your friend?” he asked motioning to Gemi.

  “She's sick,” Sann answered before Jaxton could.

  “Sick, or sick?”

  Neither one of them answered his question.

  “Okay,” the man said moving to a chair pushed up against a counter. “Why don't you tell me why you’re here?”

  “We were looking for something.”

  The man raised an eyebrow at them. “And what could you possibly want in an old, abandoned military facility?”

  “I could ask you the same thing,” Jaxton snapped.

  The man cocked his head and a wide smile spread across his face. There was something oddly familiar about him. He wasn't a part of their base, but he had definitely seen his face before.

  “I like you,” he told Jaxton.

  “You're the only one,” Sann said under his breath causing a loud rumbly laugh to burst from the man.

  “Why don't you set her on the stretcher behind you. I expect you both would be more comfortable.”

  Jaxton turned and took in the room for the first time. Several sets of gurneys were shoved up against the wall behind them, leaving a small path to another door. The man sat in a chair in front of a counter lined with different medicines and tubes that stretched the length of the wall in front of them. A computer rested on a desk by a window that had been boarded up. The building had power, but it was being conserved judging by how dimly the room was lit and that the first room they had been in was pitch-black.

  “Are you a doctor or something?” Jaxton asked.

  “Something like that.”

  Sann positioned himself so he was facing the door behind Jaxton. “Is there anyone else here with you?”

  The man simply shook his head.

  “What are you doing all the way out here alone?” Jaxton, readjusted Gemi in his arms. It was sounding more and more appealing to put her down, but he preferred to be at the ready if needed.