A man approached them.
“How do you know?” the woman asked, her expression desperate now.
“I work here. I’m professor Jenkins, the music teacher.” He introduced himself and that immediately put them at ease. They recognized the name, at least, so he should know the details.
“I was supposed to go with them but didn’t feel well,” he announced, and Paige wanted to take a step back. He must have seen something in her face because he continued in a rush, holding up a hand as if to calm her. “Just a migraine. I took some sleeping pills and woke up to this”—he waved his arms wide as if trying to define the magnitude of it all—“but I got a message from another teacher informing me where they are.”
Paige was immediately relieved. It complicated things, of course, but she now knew where to go.
“So they are still in the city?” she inquired, needing to be certain. The last thing she needed was to rush off and discover too late that he was mistaken.
“Yes.”
“Thanks,” she replied and starting to run again toward her car.
The pair yelled something behind her, but she was too focused on her mission to pay attention.
Paige heard the pounding of boots behind her. “Please—wait up,” the woman shouted.
Paige paused and let her catch up.
Out of the breath, stopped beside her. “Where are you going? Are you going to find your sister? Are you going to the city?” she asked frantically as she scrabbled around in her purse.
She pulled out her phone, swiped it a few times, then showed it to her. “This is Eric…can you find him? I can’t take the twins to the city.” The woman paused and began to cry. “I love him…but I can’t risk taking them into the city. It will be full of the infected. It’s not that I love them more than Eric—I don’t, but…I—” She dragged in a breath as if to hold in her emotions, but her face crumpled, and her shoulders sagged as she broke down.
“What’s your name?”
She replied between sobs, “Sophie Connor.”
“I’m Paige. I’m sure Eric will be with Willow at the museum. Can I take a photo of his picture?”
Sophie nodded frantically and held the phone so Paige could take a picture. Eric had bright red hair with matching freckles. “What’s your cell number?”
She recited the number, then repeated it as if unsure that she’d had it correct the first time. Paige smiled, trying to give Sophie some hope. “I’ll call you when I find him.”
She grabbed hold of Paige and hugged her tightly. “Find my baby.”
Paige gritted her teeth against a sudden urge to cry. She forced her own emotion back, digging deep because she knew she had to be strong for Willow and Eric.
Sophie released her, and Paige hopped into the car.
I’m coming, Willow and Eric. She sent the assurance out into the ether, a silent cry that buoyed her determination. She could do this—she had to.
As she drove away, she caught a glimpse of Sophie in the rearview mirror. The woman stood beside her vehicle, wringing her hands as she watched Paige drive away, obviously hoping that she would find her son for her.
***
Much to Paige’s relief, the main road was empty once she returned to it. It was probably due to the fact that everyone apart from her had listened to the warnings and stayed inside.
Still, in her case, it couldn’t be helped. Paige had to get to Willow and Eric, so staying inside wasn’t an option for her.
I’m going to try my damndest not to get infected, she promised herself while fiddling with the car’s radio.
On the horizon, Paige could see her favorite fast food joint. The golden arches were calling her name. Her stomach groaned, and she wondered what time it was. The clock on the dashboard read twelve p.m.—lunch time.
I can’t think on an empty stomach… Your sister is in the city surrounded by infected people. You can’t waste time stuffing your face. Paige grimaced as the inner battle raged within.
The golden arches drew closer and the battle intensified. Her mouth was actually watering by this point. Chicken nuggets…cheeseburger…which one? Both, with fries on the side…coke cola or milkshake? Screw it, the world’s gone to garbage—all of it!
She fiddled the radio knob, only static crackling through while she tried to get a radio station. She could vaguely hear words here and there, but they were muffled like they were being blocked.
Will they even be open? She laughed. Mac D’s is always open. If I used the drive-through, I’d not be stopping… Paige nodded, agreeing with herself.
She pushed down on the gas and headed for the golden arches. Suddenly, a voice broke through interference and issued over through the speakers.
“Bingo,” she cheered, slowing a little so she could listen.
“Stay indoors. Stay away from those who are sick. The virus is spreading. Stay away from highly populated areas like New York City,” the male news anchor pleaded in a monotone voice, and she frowned.
Tell me something I don’t already know. Looks like no Mac D’s.
The golden arches loomed right up ahead. She fought against the urge for chicken nuggets and tried to focus on her mission.
“They are open! You have to love Mac D’s!” Paige licked her lips and recalled the taste of the nuggets. She didn’t have to dig too far back in her memories. She had Mac D’s most days—breakfast, lunch, or dinner, snack’s—you name it, she had it as often as she could.
The radio voice repeated the message. “Stay indoors.” The Mac D’s staff and diners clearly didn’t hear the warning. Through the window, she could see the patrons as they munched down on the juicy burgers and other temptations.
Paige never thought she’d be happy to speed away from Mac D’s, but her willpower was rapidly fading. Anxious to avoid what seemed to be inevitable, she speeded up again, gritting her teeth resolutely and fixing her gaze on the road ahead.
She glanced in her mirror and watched as Mac D’s faded into the distance. If the hunger pangs would only fade as quickly, she’d be fine.
The radio stations came through clearly now, but they all seemed to repeat the same message. She fiddled through them but heard nothing new.
Keeping her eyes on the road, she used one hand to rummage through her backpack that was located in the passenger seat in search of her phone. She needed a definite plan, some clear direction, and all she could think of in that moment was to ask Siri.
Even though Paige knew that the chances were very slim of this idea working, she made up her mind to at least try.
Besides, what else could she do? She didn’t have anything to lose and maybe, just maybe, she might find something that helped.
Smiling in triumph, she finally felt her phone and grabbed it.
Suddenly, a car horn erupted behind her, making her jump and drop the phone in panic.
Quickly regaining her equilibrium, she looked into her review mirror and sure enough, there was a car right behind her.
The annoying sound never stopped as if a driver kept his hand constantly on the horn. His headlights were on, even though it was broad daylight, and she had to squinch her eyes against their glare in the mirror.
Unable to deal with the pressure, Paige swerved off the road and onto the grass.
“What are you doing? You idiot,” she yelled as the car flew past her.
She understood that everyone was afraid now, but that didn’t mean they should kill someone simply to survive.
Gripping the wheel with still shaking hands, Paige tried to deal with her first road rage incident while the car still idled in place.
And that was a relief, at least. She’d managed, somehow, to avoid stalling it in her panic.
She realized she’d had a lucky break and that she would have to pay closer attention to get out of there alive. Taking a deep breath, Paige tried to figure out how to continue her journey.
Other cars flew past down the road, and she could only gape.
So much for thinking she was the only one out there and that everyone else had followed instructions and stayed inside.
As it turned out, she’d just got lucky leaving the school and finding empty roads. Now, she would have to adapt because she had already wasted too much time.
Looking at all the people who wanted to get the hell out of there, she couldn’t help but wonder where they were all going.
Her mind jumped back to her original thought about Siri right before she’d been forced off the road.
Leaning back and doing some acrobatics since she still had her seatbelt fastened, she felt around for her phone where she thought she’d dropped it. She managed to lay hold of it, but barely.
Releasing a sigh of relief because it hadn’t broken, Paige turned it on.
“Siri, where do I go to be safe?” she asked even though she felt stupid doing so.
Cars continued to zoom by with drivers and passengers peeking through their windows and looking at her—probably to see if she was sick—while she waited for Siri to reply.
Information popped up on the phone with links and sites on the web that the app found relevant.
Scrolling through it, Page wasn’t too optimistic.
The best advice suggested, “Countries with small populations in rural areas are the safest place.”
She continued reading. Basically, the general consensus seemed to be that it was best to go where there was limited access to the rest of the world. In other words, to places that were almost impossible to get to.
The Himalayas popped immediately into her mind, but that thought only brought a strangled laugh—the Himalayas? Really? Barely an hour before, even the city had seemed out of reach.
Her dad’s option to leave the planet altogether actually sounded like the safest idea, given the circumstances.
Feeling like she’d learned everything she could—which was basically nothing—she slipped the phone into her backpack.
Making sure her seatbelt was nice and tight and her legs in the right position, she waited for the gap in the now heavy traffic before she joined them nervously.
It was a nerve-wracking experience, to say the least.
Paige felt like she was on her very own fairground ride—one with nightmares that wouldn’t stop—and her knuckles were beyond white as she gripped the steering wheel like her life depended on it.
An eternity later—at least, that’s how it felt to Paige though in reality, it was a couple of minutes, tops—the cars began to slow down up ahead and then weave around something.
She was still too far away to see what was blocking the road.
Her car was the last one in the line moving away from the school. Not wanting to be caught off guard as before, she kept glancing at the review mirror, simply to make sure no one was at her rear again and ready to hit her. Thankfully, her anxiety was unnecessary as no other cars had approached since she’d pulled back on the road.
As Paige neared the place where the road was blocked, she could finally see the cause of the holdup. Another car stood unmoving and pointed in the opposite direction as if someone had tried to reach the school but failed.
Maybe it’s a parent of someone at Rosehill, she thought with concern, wondering if they’d known their kids were sick and could already have been moved who knew where.
Without thinking, she slowed down as she drew closer. She peered in through the car window and couldn’t help but shudder.
The driver slumped over the steering wheel as if asleep. His face was turned away from her so she couldn’t be sure what was wrong with him, but he wasn’t moving.
On the passenger side sat a woman, and the blood poured out of her nose. Her eyes bulged almost out of the sockets in a way Paige had never seen except on a movie screen.
She wasn’t’ a fan of horror movies, and this scene would definitely haunt her forever. Still, she couldn’t look away.
The woman seemed to stare directly at her, a horrible, nerve-wracking stare since she seemed to not blink at all. And she wasn’t moving, an awful picture frozen in that lonely space.
Paige’s heart rate accelerated, and she continued to drive by at a very slow pace, unable to drag her eyes from the unfortunate couple. She had never seen a body before, though something about the uncanny stillness of the driver told her he was dead. The whole experience was terrifying in a macabre kind of way, like a warning of things to come.
Immediately, her thoughts turn to Willow, River, and AJ.
Is this the fate we will all encounter? Despondent thoughts plagued her, and she had to fight a sense of futility.
What is the second stage of the virus?
She was almost past the car now, still looking at the pair, when suddenly, the woman blinked. Paige screamed, a shocked response charged with all the emotions roiling within, and brought the car to a grinding halt.
Stop that. She gripped the steering wheel and willed herself to calm down.
The woman didn’t react to her hysterics, nor did she spare a glance for the driver. Her sole focus was on Paige—a fixed vacant look that seemed, in some weird way, to have purpose. She gulped, her throat suddenly extremely dry.
With a loud squeak, the passenger door opened, and the woman stumbled awkwardly from the car. Her posture and motions seemed rigid as if she was stiff or had lost coordination.
Paige froze as well, unsure of what was going on. Her car still idled in the middle of the road. All she had to do was press the accelerator and move on, but her limbs felt leaden and her brain had somehow lost the ability to command them.
Despite everything else, Paige couldn’t help but concentrate on the woman’s once-white shirt that was now completely smeared with blood. That’s never washing off, she thought inanely, especially since her face was so bloody, she looked like she’d stepped out of a horror movie. For one crazy moment, Paige felt as if she looked into the face of the future.
Is this my new reality?
She had a moment of frightening clarity. Aside from the obvious, there was another reason why this affected her so painfully. The woman looked to be in her early forties like her mother, and the way she was dressed reminded her of school librarians—a white shirt and black skirt, complete with a tight bun that was now in disarray. Her hair had probably been immaculate earlier but was now messy and unkempt with strands sticking out in every direction.
Very slowly, but with a strange determination, she moved in a jerky manner toward Paige’s car, still not uttering a word. Her hands shook as she reached out to her.
As if she was a zombie—and not in a funny Michael Jackson dancing zombies’ kind of a way, but more like a Walking Dead zombie.
Does the virus turn people into zombies? Paige panicked, horrified at the idea. She couldn’t deal with a zombie apocalypse. She simply couldn’t, not with everything else happening and the responsibility that lay so heavily on her shoulders.
Zombies weren’t real. They couldn’t be.
But this librarian look-alike is certainly doing a good impression of one.
“You are the Seedling,” she muttered, scaring the crap out of Paige.
“You are my Seedling.” The repetition carried conviction and a weird, hungry edge. Unhesitating and unseeing, she moved closer to her as if driven by a strange compulsion.
Panic clawed to the surface, and Paige fumbled with the car. With oddly numb fingers, she hurried to lock the doors and make sure all the windows were closed. Instinct screamed that she had to shield herself in any possible way from this real-life horror character.
Common sense pushed through, reminding her to hit the gas pedal. The car lurched forward and almost past the woman, but she lunged forward and, with a strength Paige could never have imagined, flung herself onto the hood as her face contorted with rage.
Paige stifled another scream, but then remembered nothing was stopping her. She could scream as loudly as she needed to—anything to get her through this and defuse the tension and terror that seemed to be takin
g over.
“Aaargh.” She let loose, the scream releasing some satisfaction but not nearly enough.
In a panic, she pushed the gas pedal all the way down and the car sped forward. The most terrifying hood ornament in the world blocked her vision of the road ahead.
Instinctively, Paige pulled the wheel quickly to the right, then to the left. The vehicle swerved in response, and she held her breath. She did it again, hoping to shake her unwanted real-life zombie passenger off. The woman latched onto the windshield wipers in a determined attempt to hold on.
One final attempt to dislodge her paid off, though, and the scary woman’s grip loosened. She rolled back, but to Paige’s dismay, she somehow managed to still hold on, though with one hand.
With an almost superhuman jerk, she rolled herself back into place and began to punch repeatedly on the windshield. Soon, the skin on her fist reddened before splitting, and blood smeared the screen.
Paige tried to focus and think of something—anything—that she could do. She didn’t know how to turn on the wipers but was terrified to release the steering wheel, even with one hand, to fiddle with the various buttons and levers.
“You’re my Seedling!” the woman screeched like a banshee from hell. “No one else can have you—you’re mine!” The yelling seemed driven by a strange kind of frenzy, one that had long since moved beyond the realm of even remotely sane.
A crack appeared on the windshield, and Paige watched in disbelief as it spiderwebbed with each successive punch. Panic clamored, along with a feeling of total helplessness. The crazy lady would soon punch through.
And what will I do then? she thought, glancing around frantically in the desperate hope that there might be some kind of weapon and finding none.
So, she did the only thing she could.
Paige slammed her foot on the brake, and the car jerked in response. The seatbelt bit into her shoulder, but the stunt had the desired effect.
The woman flew off the hood and landed a couple of feet away on the road with a loud thud. The dust kicked up all around her, then slowly settled as she lay still, sprawled in an inhuman position. Her limbs were bent awkwardly at seemingly impossible angles.
Contamination (Invasion Survivor Book 1) Page 7