by SD Tanner
Georgia set a cup of tea and toast in front of her. “Have you heard from Ted yet?”
With a nod of thanks, she replied, “No, but he would have only got back last night. I’m more worried about Pax.”
“I’m sure he’s fine. He isn’t always as responsible as he could be.”
“That’s not true, Pax is very responsible and he always does what he’s supposed to. He can be childlike, but he’s not childish.”
“Did you hear what happened the night before last?”
“No. Was there a problem?”
“No, not at all.” Leaning forward as if sharing a secret, Georgia continued, “Ted and I were in bed the night before…’
“You and Ted?”
Looking sheepish, Georgia said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t think.”
“It’s fine, Georgia. Ted is single.”
Blushing, she said, “Well, we were lying in bed and I saw a new star. At first I wasn’t sure, but I asked the other Infected and they’ve all seen it. It’s amazing!”
“But I thought all the stars were the other Infected.”
“They are. But this one’s different. It’s gold. Pure gold.”
“Can you communicate with it?”
“No, it doesn’t answer, but it’s beautiful. If you touch it, it sort of vibrates and it feels warm and…safe.”
Thinking about the star she could see in her own mind, the one she was unable to shake all morning, she asked, “So, it’s not another one of the Infected then?”
“I don’t think so,” Georgia replied uncertainly. “If it is, it’s not like the rest of us. I’m not sure it’s a person at all. It doesn’t seem to be one.”
The conversation was wearing her out and she wanted to lie down again. Stories about a star and the image of one in her mind were more than she wanted to think about. Forgoing her morning walk, she decided to rest and Georgia settled her in one of the two wicker deck chairs sitting side by side on the porch.
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
Giving her an assuring smile, she said tiredly, “I’m fine. I just have a migraine or something. I’ll sleep it off.”
The four horses were hanging their heads over the railing of the paddock watching her. She smiled at them, and as if greeting her in return, one neighed. She relied on the tranquility of the Ranch to steady her fraying nerves. Voices were drifting in and out of her mind and the image of the star remained. Breathing deeply, she told herself to be calm and laid her head on the pillow Georgia had thoughtfully tucked behind her head.
The smell of the Ranch and the sound of the horses merged with a noise that grew inside her head. Voices, that she felt more than she heard, were drifting through her thoughts and she slowly floated along with them.
Someone she knew well spoke softly in her ear. “Lydia.”
Startled, she opened her eyes. Her father was sitting next to her, smiling warmly.
“Dad?”
Leaning forward in his chair, with his body angled towards her, he reached out and took her hand. She’d always loved his big, well-padded and slightly roughened hands. Instinctively she squeezed his hand and felt him lovingly grip hers in return. The last time she’d seen him, he was dying. He’d looked grey, haggard, and skeletal, but today he was in his prime. His thick wavy hair had just a hint of grey, his face was full and his features were strong. She thought he looked handsome.
“I must be dreaming.”
“No, you’re not, my angel.”
“Then how can you be here?”
“Does it matter? I’m here now.”
“Are you mad at me? You know, for getting pregnant and not knowing who the father is?”
With a rumbling laugh, he replied, “A new soul is always good.”
“Ip said exactly the same thing.”
“That’s because it’s true, Lydia. A life is a life and never to be resented no matter how it came to be. Just to be alive, no matter how briefly, is luckier than we know while we’re alive.”
Feeling a weight lift from her shoulders, she asked, “Are you here to tell me that?”
His face became serious and he said somberly, “No, I need to talk to you, Lydia. There are things you need to know.”
Fear gripped her and she asked anxiously, “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Be calm, my angel. Everything will be alright.”
“Will be? You mean it isn’t?”
“It is and it isn’t.”
“Please don’t talk in riddles,” she pleaded.
Her father pulled the big chair closer to her, until he was sitting close enough to slip his arm around her shoulders. “You’ve been feeling people in your head lately, haven’t you?”
“Yes. Do you know who they are?”
“You’re seeing the Infected. It’s how they know one another. It’s a feeling more than words.”
Finally understanding what was happening inside her mind, she said vaguely, “Like a presence. But I’m not infected.”
Her father didn’t reply, but he looked at her sadly. Realization dawned on her, and she said in dull shock, “Oh, I’ve been infected with the designer virus.”
She looked down at her swollen belly, and with a sensation of dread, she asked, “Is my baby dead?”
Her father gently squeezed the back of her neck and massaging it gently, he said, “The baby isn’t dead, my angel.”
Knowing there was more, she asked tentatively, “But..?”
“But you are. They all are, my angel. The designer virus kills the host, but like the hunter virus, the body goes on. They’re not telepathic. Their connection is the way the dead know the dead.”
“I’m dead? They’re all dead?” As the full meaning sunk into her restless mind, she cried in dismay, “Oh my God, I’ve been killing people.” Struggling to sit up, she wailed, “No, no, no. I can’t have been killing them. Oh my God, what have I done?”
She’d murdered more than fifty people. Her mind reeled and everything she knew to be true disintegrated, until she was left adrift in a life she no longer recognized.
“I didn’t mean it. I thought they were fine. How could I have been so stupid?”
Once she was calmer, he said somberly, “There’s more, Lydia.”
Still trying to hold onto her sanity, she said, “Tell me. Tell me now.”
“The baby is fine, but when the time comes you must protect the child. Your life is over, my angel, but save the child.”
“I don’t understand. How do I save my child? What’s going to happen to my baby? Please, please, you have to explain. I need to know what to do.”
“Protect the child, Lydia. The child must live.”
She felt a hand massaging the back of her neck, and a woman’s voice said, “Wake up, Lydia. You’re having a nightmare.”
Slowly her mind became focused on her surroundings and fully opening her eyes, the four horses were still watching her from the paddock. Turning to look up, Georgia was watching her with a worried expression.
“I’m infected,” she said dully. “The Infected are dead, and I killed them. You’re dead too.”
Tears began to streak down her face, but Georgia shook her head. “It was just a dream. Pregnant women have all sorts of odd dreams. Nothing’s changed from yesterday and everything’s fine. I’m not dead and neither are you.”
She wanted to believe her, but Georgia didn’t have all the facts. She didn’t know about the people in her head or the star in her mind.
“It wasn’t a dream.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Friends like these (Pax)
“What’s wrong with him?”
Ruler shrugged and sounding disgusted, he replied, “I don’t know. I’m rather disappointed in him. I expected him to have a lot more pluck.”
“What did you do to him?”
“Nothing,” Ruler replied indignantly. “I gave him a little piece of his childhood. Most people would be grateful.”
He could hear their voices, but
their words weren’t making any sense. Still lying on the damp concrete floor, he had no concept of how much time had passed. He was cold, really cold. He thought, I gotta get up, I gotta move, I gotta escape, but he couldn’t translate his thoughts into action. He was stuck. His brain wasn’t working for him anymore. For all the times Gears told him there was nothing in his head, this was the first time he believed his mind was truly empty.
Sounding disinterested, Gray asked, “What do you want to do with him?”
“Kill him.”
“How?” Gray asked, with slightly more enthusiasm.
“I don’t know yet, but if he doesn’t move soon he’ll die of exposure.”
Staring into the cell, Gray asked, “Can he move?”
“He could if he wanted to. He’s being lazy, but I have to go. That idiot Hull is getting it all wrong again.”
At the mention of Hull being in trouble, Gray appeared to perk up and asked cheerfully, “What’s he got wrong?”
“The Ranch! He’s going to fuck up the Ranch and not in the right way.” Stamping his foot, he added, “I just can’t get decent help anywhere. You people are so fucking stupid.”
Now alarmed, Gray asked meekly, “What do you want me to do?”
“Watch this one. You can play with him, but don’t kill him, and don’t hurt him too much. He’s mine to kill, not yours, and I don’t want him so messed up he can’t enjoy his own death.”
With a worried look, Gray whined, “Why don’t you kill him now?”
Rolling his eyes dramatically, Ruler said in an exasperated tone, “Because I don’t have time right now. Hull is being useless and overconfident. The man never listens!”
Stepping closer to Gray, making him lean back in fear, he added conspiratorially, “This one will bring the others, and when they get here, the super hunters will kill them. While they’re trying to rescue this one, I can get rid of the Ranch and when I get back I’ll kill this one. It’s all very simple.”
Gray looked confused. “What?”
Ruler flung a frustrated look at the super hunter standing with them. “Do you see what I have to work with here? What am I supposed to do with something as stupid as this? I don’t know why I bother. I particularly don’t know why I bother with this one. He’s easily broken and I’ve no use for a POTUS, he adds no value and he irritates me.”
The female super hunter replied, “He might be useful later.”
“He better be or I’m going to kill him every day for eternity to remind myself what a waste of time it is to do business with the living.”
While his mind drifted aimlessly, he caught the thread of a thought and in his mind he saw Gears riding his horse. He must have been about fourteen, already well built, and with a face that looked like it was carved from a rock. Together with TL, they were following the path of the stream just a mile from the Ranch. Gears was leading, he followed, and TL was lagging behind both of them. Becoming bored, he kicked his horse into a gallop and rode past Gears, giving him a rude hand gesture as he went by. Up for the challenge, Gears kicked his horse and they rode at full gallop, side by side, each egging their horse to outrun the other. TL was left behind clearly ignoring their antics and following them sedately. It was a fair example of the men they would become. He would push Gears to stay ahead, TL would quietly follow them and he and Gears knew he would try to keep them safe.
“You can’t stay here forever, Pax,” BD said softly.
At the sound of her voice, he opened his eyes until he could only just see past his eyelashes, and caught a glimpse of platinum hair sprawled an inch from his head. Slowly following the line of her tangled curls, he eventually met her crystal blue eyes with his own. He saw the curve of her cheekbone, her flawless skin and perfectly shaped pink lips arched with a slight smile. The memory of that smile was deeply imprinted into his memory.
“Can’t move, baby,” he mumbled.
Her mouth drooped and pouting, she asked flirtatiously, “Not even for me?”
He’d replayed her death in his mind a million times. In his daydreams he rescued BD, caught Major major asshole and killed him in some blood splattering way that briefly left him feeling whole again. Then he would remember what really happened that day, and he would feel the loss of her and his pride all over again.
Swallowing and feeling his dry mouth, he murmured, “Want to. Can’t.”
“Sure you can,” BD replied brightly. “You just have to move little bit at a time. Start with your finger. Just move it a little bit.”
Feeling deeply exhausted he didn’t want to, but he didn’t want to let her down either. She asks for so little, he thought, and she deserves so much.
“Come on, Pax. Do it for me. Show me you love me.”
More than anything he wanted BD to know he loved her. She’d died before he could tell her and it was his biggest regret. In all the time they were together, the chances he had to tell her how he felt, and yet he’d never told her. Stupid, he thought, it was just three little words, maybe she wouldn’t have gone back to the Major’s camp if I’d just said those three little words.
Sounding hurt and disappointed, BD said, “Show me now, Pax. Move. Move for me.”
His heart was beginning to pound in his chest, blood rushed to his head and his ears were ringing with the sound of static. It felt like he was having a heart attack, but it also felt like blind panic. Scoping around his brain, he found the sensation that belonged to his arm, and remembered the signal to tell it what to do. Move, he said to his arm, do as you’re damned told. In slow motion, the signal from his brain travelled down his shoulder, to his arm, past his elbow and into his hand, landing at the end knuckle of his right forefinger and it twitched.
“See, I knew you could move,” BD said triumphantly. “Do it again.”
The single movement was familiar, and his brain began to work feverishly as it connected this one memory to all of his others. His heart rate was reaching a fever pitch, and he thought he might die if his brain didn’t reconnect with his body fast enough. This time the signal sped from his brain to his hand and it pulled into a tight and angry fist.
“That’s right, Pax,” BD crowed. “Be angry. Use your anger and move!”
Breathing deeply, he concentrated on calming his heart rate, focused his mind on his body and opened his eyes fully. Sliding his head against the concrete floor, so he was almost touching BD, he stared into her eyes clearly and tried to grin.
Her perfect mouth curved into a delighted smile and she cooed, “Hello Pax.”
Seeing her again he said as sadly as he once said at the Blue Inn, “You’re not here.”
Her forehead creased with a frown. “Oh, don’t start this again. I left you evidence at the Blue Inn. A whole tub of water.”
“Gears says it was already there. That I jus’ forgot.”
BD tutted. “Don’t listen to Gears. He’s always been stubborn.” With a little more thought, she added, “Willful and ill-tempered too.”
“You’ve never met Gears.”
“Not here, not this time, but I know him well. He’s a stubborn old fool.”
He chuckled and thought, she sounds like she knows him. “What’s happenin’?”
Gray asked curiously, “Who’s he talking to.”
Glancing into the cell, the super hunter replied, “The blonde.”
“What blonde?”
Ruler sighed loudly. “The one in the cell with him.” Shaking his head, he muttered, “You people are so fucking stupid.”
Peering into the cell, Gray said, “There’s no one in there with him.”
Grabbing him by the head, Ruler roughly swiveled it into the bars of the cell and said, “Look!”
Startled by the sudden physical contact, Gray reared slightly and then stopped. Pax was lying on the floor, and stretched out next to him, was a striking woman with platinum blonde hair.
“Who is she?”
Ruler’s eyes flashed angrily. “An interfering old bitch.”
“Oh, he did that,” Ruler replied casually. “He used to live in this cell and now he won’t leave. Some people are as stupid dead as they were alive.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: A friend in need (Mackenzie)
His motorcycle rounded a corner and he recognized the fields. There was a building in the distance, surrounded by high walls. It was the prison he’d seen in his two visions and he knew this was where they were holding Pax. The surrounding area looked quiet and empty, devoid of life, and it had a desolate feel to it. In his second vision in the prison he’d stood outside the high walls, and the surrounding country was green and fertile, but now it was muddy, dry and dirty brown. Puzzled by the change of atmosphere, he climbed off his Harley and pulled off his helmet. Now able to see more easily, he slowly turned and studied the landscape.
A bullet exploded at his feet and he quickly dived for cover behind the motorcycle, pulling his M4 from the saddlebag. The motorcycle offered no protection, but with the area so barren there was no other protection to be had. Behind him there was a rustle of movement. Hidden in the muddy landscape were hunters, so dirty they blended into the color of the earth. Being infected with the designer virus they presented no threat to him, and he ignored their slow creeping movement, looking for the person who fired the shot. All around him hunters were unearthing themselves, and it was impossible for him to pinpoint the location or number of shooters.
He believed he’d found Pax, but now he wondered what he planned to do about it. With no back up and no one knowing where he was, he doubted he had any ability to help him. Foolishly, he’d assumed he’d be able to locate Pax and go back to Wolfie’s base. It hadn’t occurred to him he might be captured. Even now, being so far away from the prison, he wondered why there were so many hunters lying in wait. What were they waiting for?
Several hunters clambered out of the earth, shuffling low and almost reluctantly towards him. When they drew close enough, he reached out and killed them instantly with a touch. Collapsing as if a string was cut, the hunters dropped to the ground in a crumpled heap. All around him, hunters were emerging as if born from the earth itself, and he saw there thousands of them. He’d blindly ridden into a trap. It was obvious to him now the prison was the focal point of a nest of hunters, patiently waiting for their victim. He figured being one of the Infected he was not their target, and he was at best a lucky catch. Cursing at his own carelessness, he stood up as the hunters advanced and formed a ring of dead human flesh around him that was as effective as a wall.