by Rosaria, A.
“You’re awake?” he said softly.
Sarah sighed in relief. There was no anger in his voice. He walked over to her bed and sat down next to her.
“You really caused me a lot of trouble.”
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“It better not. I had to pull a lot of strings for them not to gut you. I’m not even sure why I bother.” Terry stared ahead, avoiding her eyes. “Guess I really must like you a lot, Sarah.”
Her heart leapt in her chest. Did he? No, it felt wrong. Why did it bother her so much? She shouldn’t like him, not this way. Ralph was still out there. And if Ralph were dead, he was dead because of Terry. Either way, it was wrong. She tried to push away the warm fuzzy feeling his words had stirred inside her and failed. Sarah was glad the room was dark, and he couldn’t see her blush.
“Guess it is a one-way thing,” he said. “Can’t really blame you. You are a good kid, I like you, but I’m the guy that brought you here.”
“You were just following orders.”
He laughed. “Orders? Yeah, right, I was doing that too.” He finally looked at her. His face was grim, and his lips a white strip. “I was looking for my brother and got nowhere.”
His grim expression faded and he looked at her apologetically. “Don’t worry. I don’t blame you. At first I did, but things changed. You know that, don’t you?”
“I’m sorry, Terry.” She couldn’t tell him. It hurt in many ways. This man stood up for her, and he didn’t blamed her. She had been the cause of his anguish, and now he liked her.
“I got this back for you.” Terry fished her watch out of his pocket. “The guards should never have taken this from you.”
Sarah held the watch loosely in her hand, not knowing what to say. She had been genuinely saddened at losing the watch, but how could she show happiness right now?
“Let me,” he said as he took the watch and fastened it around her wrist. “Looks good on you. Never take it off.”
He had said the same thing the day he gave it to her. She had still been wary of him, but now that she had known him longer and after what he did for her today, how couldn’t she like him?
“Thank you. I’m really sorry I dragged you into this mess.”
“Well, you had me there. It got scary for a moment, but it all turned out all right in the end. Priss is okay, and Mr. Morrison is angry, but fine otherwise. Besides, who cares about him? What matters is that you didn’t get locked up again.”
The administration must have become more lenient. A year ago, she probably would have been strapped to the dissection table the second she laid a hand on anyone.
Terry stood. “I just came to give you your watch. I have to go now. Got a few extra shifts thrown at me.”
“Is it because of me?”
He paused and searched her eyes. “In a way, yes. They want to send me out on a survival run.”
The color drained from her face. So, they were still doing that. Terry had told her that they had stopped, that there was no sense in it anymore. The cure they had only worked temporarily, and only on those infected recently, not on those who had the flu. Terry told her they had reached a dead end in their research. Could they have had a breakthrough, and had now renewed their experiments?
“Why?”
“Orders.”
“Come on, you are not going to do everything they tell you, are you?”
He smiled at her. “I really need to go.”
“But—”
“No buts, you owe me that much. Promise me you’ll behave.”
She nodded.
“Say it.”
As if she had a choice not to behave with a guard up her ass. “I’ll try.”
“Guess that will do.” Terry stood and went to the door. He put his hand in front of the lock and the doors slid open.
“Terry?”
Over his shoulder, he looked at her. “Yes?”
“You know that I like you too, don’t you?” Sarah blushed.
Terry smiled and left. The door slid shut, and the angry red of the lock returned her smile.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ralph sat in front of their makeshift camp two miles from the spot where they had met Phil’s group. They had made a small campfire to warm up canned beans. His group had left their tents behind while Phil’s people were well stocked. A few of the guys offered for Brenda and Lauryn to bunk with them, but they had declined. These were the only tents those from the other group offered to share. They had put their tents up in a defensive ring, and four men guarded the area around the tents.
Phil told him that they preferred to travel under the cover of darkness, keeping to the roads. They slept during the day, and left late in the day to walk through the night, when they would look for a place to camp. Phil told them it was easier to stay clear of the zombies when they had everyone watching for them. He also believed that the zombies had worse sight at night, and that the cold slowed them down. It made sense, if you believed that.
Only Phil and his girl, Melissa, joined Ralph’s campfire. Ralph watched the odd couple. Phil looked to be in his late twenties. He was tall, slender, and ruggedly handsome. Melissa was most likely a decade his senior. She was short, stocky, and had a pronounced Spanish accent.
“So are you looking for supplies?” Phil said.
Ethan, who sat at Ralph’s right, nodded. “We are looking for a town the bastards haven’t blown up yet.”
Melissa and Phil shared a glance. “Bastards?” Phil asked.
“The military, our own government,” Ralph said. He pointed at Lauryn, who was sitting to Melissa’s left. “They put us on a bus to a quarantine zone, but it turned out they were incinerating people. However, people started turning before they could burn them all. They lost control and decided the best thing to do to stop the spread was destroying the cities. I saw them nuke my town after the soldiers chased us out.”
“You were ill with the flu?” Melissa exclaimed. “And survived?”
“Lauryn did. I never got it. Not everyone who gets the flu dies.”
“I guess not,” Melissa said, “but how many died because their families got ill and turned? Or went to the doctor. Those in hospitals had zero chance of survival. Only a miracle would keep someone safe in that zombie breeding ground.”
“She is right,” Phil said. “I’ve seen people get bit and not get ill. And I’ve seen them get bit and get ill, but not turn. This is the first time I have heard of someone who got the flu and survived.” Phil looked at Lauryn. “You must have been pretty helpless, coughing up your lungs and surrounded by zombies. You must be married to luck to have survived that.”
Lauryn shot Ralph a glance. Her eyes were kinder this time. Melissa and Phil were right. His mom survived only because Ginny was locked up in her room, but eventually she died as well. And Lauryn survived because he was on a bus he should not have been on to begin with. Without him, she would have been burned to a crisp or eaten by the zombies on the bus.
“We just went through a larger town,” Phil said. “Big enough to hold a few thousands. It’s still standing, and untouched. We stocked up, but there isn’t much left. However, a large group of zombies was gathered to the south near the lake. Most likely they followed a poor sod who ran into the water.”
“I think it’s probably the same place we are headed. It’s good to hear we won’t be going for nothing.” Ralph said.
“And where are you heading?” Lauryn asked Phil.
“To a mine nearby,” Phil said. “We hope to find a place where we can hole up for a time.”
A mineshaft would be a great place to defend, with only one entrance to keep watch over. However, there would be nowhere to run if that entrance was overrun. Although, if it were high in the mountains, like their base was, it might be safe. The zombies were bad climbers. He had seen them try and fail again and again. Although, he would not rule out that they might one day start to climb better.
“Why don’t you j
oin us?” Ethan asked.
Phil and Melissa shared a look. Melissa nodded. “We would,” she said.
“But,” Phil said, looking at their camp, “the others like to stick to themselves.”
“You might want to think it over,” Ethan said. “We have a much larger group. We took over a resort in the mountains; many detached cabins and one large hotel. We are planning to build a wall around it to keep the occasional roamers away. You might want to hook up with us; we still have empty rooms and always could use more people.”
“You know what,” Phil said, “I’ll think about it. If our mine proves to be a dud, we’ll take you up on your offer.”
“What about the others in your group?” Ethan asked. “Will they go along?”
“I’ll convince them when the time comes.” Phil turned to his wife. “Would you go and grab my sat phone?”
Melissa got up. She cracked her back and winced. “I’m not getting any younger.”
She looked fine for her age, better than fine. Ralph followed her with his eyes as she made her way back to her camp. She had a nice, firm butt. He caught Lauryn’s disproving look. Ralph quickly looked away. Phil sat undisturbed with a big smile as he watched Ralph. They kept silent around the campfire while waiting for Melissa to return. A few minutes later, she handed Phil the two-way radio. Ralph kept his eyes on the fire licking the wood in front of him.
“This is a satellite radio. Take it, but don’t touch the configuration.” Phil handed it to Ethan.
“We’ll call you when we have made a choice. Just promise me that, whatever the choice is, you’ll return this to us.”
“We will,” Ethan said, “are you sure this thing works?”
“It will for a while, though the more satellites that break, the less effective it will be. No one is shooting those things into orbit anymore or going up to repair them. It’s made for emergencies, to work independently of earth-based systems, and we are in the biggest emergency humanity has ever faced.”
Phil and Melissa stood. “We’ll stay until nightfall. I guess you guys will be going on your way?”
They said their goodbyes. As Phil and Melissa moved back to their tents, Ralph put out the campfire while the others went to gear up. As he was throwing dirt on the small fire, a shadow fell over him. He turned and saw Lauryn standing behind him.
“Ralph,” she said. Lauryn was blushing, her eyes going everywhere. It had been a year since he had seen her like this. She had been ill, and standing in the line to Mrs. Evergreen’s hellhole, waiting for the nurse to check on them and send them to the bus to hell.
“I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful for that day. You know, on the bus? If not for you, I wouldn’t be alive. If not for that kiss—” She looked away. “—I would still been in that ditch. Dead.”
She quickly turned to leave. Ralph grabbed her hand, stopping her. Not knowing why, only that he had to. They stood like that for a moment, frozen, her arm stiff and his hand tight around her wrist. Finally, she relaxed and faced him. They locked eyes. Hers brimmed with tears. That lovely face. His chest ached. He pulled her closer and hugged her.
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out between us.”
Lauryn cried, pushed him away, and ran past a surprised Brenda, who was carrying Ralph’s backpack. Ralph watched Lauryn go, wondering what he had said to hurt her.
Brenda threw his backpack at him. “What did you do?”
“Nothing. I did nothing.”
She looked at him unbelieving. “You dense moron, do you really not see what’s going on?”
“I don’t.”
“Please, it took you months to realize I had a crush on you.”
Contrary to what she might believe, he had been aware of it; he had just ignored it. Guess that was as bad as not knowing, maybe worse.
“Heck, I still love you,” Brenda said.
Ralph flinched. Oh no, not again, he remembered her clinginess the first month.
“Not like that. It’s different with her, and I’ve seen the way you look at her. You never looked at me that way.”
Brenda had grown. She was sixteen now, her body mature. She had been pretty when they met, but now she was stunning. He liked her, but Brenda was right; he had never liked her in that way. Not how he liked Sarah and Lauryn.
“I made a promise,” Ralph said more to himself than to Brenda.
“To a girl you’ve not seen in over a year, and most likely will never see again.”
“Sarah is alive. I know it, and I’ll find her.”
Brenda shook her head in dismay. “Sarah’s been gone for a year. Lauryn told me all of it, the things she went through to get to you. In two weeks’ time, you forgot all about her, and now you are putting her on to the side for someone gone for a year? She loves you.”
Ralph sat down. Much of what Brenda told him made sense. How long had Brenda known this?
“And finally, Lauryn sought you out again, and after trying to distance herself from you, you send her away crying? I would hate you if you were anyone else.”
Brenda left him and went to join their group, which had gathered a few feet away. Ralph got up, grabbed his rifle, and joined them. He wasn’t sure what to make of all this, but he closed his mind to it. He’d deal with it when they returned to their shelter. For now, they had to make it to the town and gather enough supplies to last a few months. They still had a long walk ahead of them.
With everyone gathered, the group checked the campsite for belongings one last time. Once set to go, they said their goodbyes to the four men guarding Phil’s camp and went on their way to whatever waited for them.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Sarah stood in front of the door leading to the classroom. She had promised Terry she would behave, but she wasn’t sure she could. Mr. Morrison expected her to apologize and there was no way he would be humble about it.
“You better get in there, girl,” the guard said as he tapped her ass to make her move. Sarah whirled around, snarling a curse at him. She raised her fists to hit him. The guard looked down at her with contempt. “I dare ya to do it. Make my day.”
She had promised, and she didn’t want to get Terry in trouble again. She opened the door and went inside, cringing at what she would have to face. The guard laughing behind her didn’t help much either. The day had just started, and it already promised to be a long one.
Mr. Morrison didn’t look up at her. His nose was bandaged. Blue patches crested below his eyes. He really looked like a mess. For a second, she felt sorry for him, but then she remembered the month of torment she had endured from him, and pushed that sorrow away. The man was an asshole and deserved everything she gave him, except for the apology she was expected to give him now.
The kids in the classroom watched her in silence, apathetic disdain in most of their eyes, a few disinterested. Only one person in the class was glad and wary at the same time. Priss sat at the desk next to hers; they hadn’t moved her. Mr. Ward wanted her to stay away from his daughter, and sitting next to her made that impossible. Sarah shuddered, remembering his threat. He would keep his promise; those cruel eyes didn’t lie.
Sarah went over to Mr. Morrison’s desk. He still hadn’t looked at her.
“Sir, I’m sorry I hit you.”
He didn’t answer. The only sound she heard in the room was wheezing every time he inhaled and whistling when he exhaled.
“Mr. Morrison.”
He looked up from his open book, but not at her; he stared at the class.
“Mr. Morrison! I want to apo—”
“Go sit at your desk.” His voice was a toneless drone.
“But I want to—”
“You want nothing.” He finally turned his bloodshot eyes on her. His pupils dilated and his face reddened. “You’ll sit down, you’ll not speak, you’ll not do anything other than pretend you are not here, and I’ll do my best to act as if you don’t exist.”
She hesitated. She had expected him to be all high and mi
ghty, humiliate her even, but she didn’t expect this.
“Just go. If they can’t even expel you for what you’ve done, you can at least do me that favor.”
She turned around, feeling sorry for him now. Something was wrong and she didn’t know what. She saw not only rage in the man, but also fear—of her and of something else.
Sarah walked to her desk. The other kids avoided looking at her, and some girls tried to move away when she walked by them. She sat down.
Priss opened her mouth to say something, but Sarah shook her head, shutting her up.
Class went pretty much as Mr. Morrison said. He acted as if she didn’t exist, and he taught his class with a fervor she had not seen in him before. You could say anything you wanted about the man, but not that he didn’t like teaching. If he had not been such an ass, Sarah would have liked his class. The man could explain math in a way you could understand. Had she really been such a thorn in his side? He had never been this good before. He was always a hardass with her, giving him little time to teach.
At the end of class as he passed out their assignment, he skipped her. No assignments. No homework. Only the privilege of attending class. Oh no, they might not allow her to take the final exams. How will she graduate now? She stifled a chuckle. It was not the right moment for giddiness.
Dismissed, she left the classroom. Outside, the guard with his exploring hands waited for her. Priss rushed to her side to talk. She must be brimming with questions about what had happened, and to be honest, Sarah wanted to know what had happened to Pricilla. She seemed fine.
The guard stepped between them. “Miss Ward, you better stay clear of her, your father’s orders.”
Sarah sighed. Well, that was that. In class, she was reduced to a mute, and outside, mister pervy guard gagged anyone trying to talk to her. Total isolation from now on.
She turned to go to the next class. Biology. Yeah right, more like propagandized lessons about the viral onslaught that made the population mad.
Behind her, she heard a struggle. The guard cried out in pain. “Your father will hear about this.”