Paige found their behavior strange but didn’t have time to linger.
“I want my money back!” a man shouted, banging rhythmically on the countertop. The frightened salesman on the other side tried to explain to him that he had no money to refund him, but the irate passenger clearly wasn’t listening to reason.
Is he infected? she wondered.
“We should hurry.” Dave nodded, but then he turned toward her with a strange expression on his face.
“What is it?” she asked, thinking they should leave the station—and fast, just like that family before them.
“I need to pee,” he informed her, and she busted out laughing because he’d delivered that line while acting like a small child.
“It’s not funny. I’ve been holding it in for ages and I can’t any longer,” he whined, and she stifled another giggle.
“You are right. We should both go while we still can,” she agreed because there was no telling when the situation would present itself again. There never seemed to be a decent place to pee in NY.
Finding a bathroom, they parted ways with Dave warning her not to linger—like she would in a place like this at a time like this. She held her tongue, simply rolling her eyes at him, and went inside and recoiled.
The place was packed with people trying to clean the blood off their loved one’s faces. Some of those infected were already in the stupor phase, while the others tried to help as well.
The horror movie running in her head seemed to have found another scene with blood everywhere, but Paige really had to go. Carefully, trying not step in too many bodily fluids, she moved toward the stalls.
Finding an empty one, she did her business quickly.
While she concentrated on the task at hand, she could hear one voice overpowering all the rest.
“You’re making a mess of my bathroom!” a woman announced in a shrill voice.
She flushed the toilet, then exited the stall and immediately matched the voice to the face. The homeless woman in question didn’t look infected but she was, on the other hand, all kinds of annoyed.
While Paige moved to the other section to wash her hands, the woman paused mid-rant and looked at her with wide eyes.
For the briefest of moments, Paige felt insecure. Did she maybe have a piece of toilet paper stuck somewhere or forgot to zip her pants?
“You are glowing,” the homeless person informed her, pointing at her skin.
She must be drunk. There could be no other explanation for the crazy comment.
Paige looked down at her hand. What the— A golden glow seemed to emanate from her. Speechless, she looked at the woman again, then back at her hand. The glow remained, and she wondered for a single crazy moment if she’d finally lost her mind completely.
The woman fixed her with a hard look. “They will come for you,” she warned in a hushed voice. “Just like they did for me when I was a child. But I ran away.”
They stood in silence for a moment, the woman looking anxious and Paige wishing a hole would simply open up and drop her off the edge of the world.
“No place is safe,” she continued after a short pause. “No matter how much I tried to hide from them, they always found me. They will find you too.”
Paige’s heart squeezed painfully inside her chest.
This woman reminded her so much of her own mother and all the times she’d hidden her and her sisters when they were all younger and living together. The wardrobe was her favorite place, and Paige learned to hate it, but for the sake of her mother’s love, she always did what she was told.
Until the moment mother was hospitalized.
Thankfully, the non-sick people in the bathroom paid no attention to the crazy homeless woman. “Can you tell me more about them? Who are they? What do they want?” Paige asked, using her most soothing, non-threatening voice.
The woman grinned, revealing her rotting teeth. “You always want to know more.” She raised her hand and tapped the side of her head.
“I will never tell you where Sarah is,” she snapped, surprising Paige so much that she took a step back.
“I will never lead you to Sarah,” the woman yelled at Paige.
“Please calm down, I—” she protested, but the woman had slipped into another place, her mind wandering again.
“Leave me alone, you spy! Tell your Nano masters I have nothing for you.” She spat and snatched up her stuff to turn and run from the bathroom.
“Please tell me more. I need to know what’s going on.”
The homeless women threw her belongings at Paige and fled out of the restroom. It took a few minutes for her to throw the things to the side and go after her.
She ran right into Dave, and she would have fallen flat on her ass if he hadn’t caught her.
“Causing problems again, I see,” he commented mildly. She looked blankly at him, barely registering what he’d said.
“I really can’t take you anywhere.” He continued to tease her, but she had more pressing matters and shrugged her impatience, peering around for some sign of the strange woman who seemed to have vanished.
“Did you see that woman running away?” she asked urgently.
“Yeah.”
“Where did she go?”
“Why does it matter?”
“I need to find her.” The things she’d said were maybe borderline crazy, but that didn’t mean they were untrue. The whole damn world was crazy too
Paige looked back down at her hands. They were glowing, but they started to tremble as she curled her fingers inward as if to close off the source.
“Dave, I’m glowing,” she told him in a panic as she held her hands out in front of her.
Dave looked at her, confused. “You’re not. That knock on your head must be worse than we thought. We don’t time have for this, remember? We have to get to the museum…find your sister and my brother.”
“Of course I remember! And I am glowing—that woman saw it.” She held her hand up. “See? I’m glowing.”
Dave stared at her, bewilderment etched on his face. “I’m sorry, Paige, I really don’t see it.”
“Maybe you were hit on your head?” she retorted, folding her arms in belligerence.
Dave clearly didn’t want to argue. “Maybe. Can we go already?”
Paige gave in. “Okay, let’s go.”
***
Still freaked out by the voodoo charge shit Francis had performed on him, AJ watched as they passed through the gates of a military base that was heavily guarded.
Okay, you can go in but you definitely can't get out. Good to know.
As before, they parked near the entrance of a building that resembled a hangar—obviously, he realized, so the worst patients could be easily transported.
River's condition had worsened since they’d left the college, and he was worried.
On the other hand, he felt great. More than great, actually. AJ felt like a freaking king and debated whether he should fake the illness or not.
Oh, fuck it.
“I can walk,” he informed a man in a suit once it was his turn to get off.
He was directed into a vast room and once inside, AJ was surprised to see—yet not surprised at all—how many children were already there.
A red bracelet was put on his left wrist, and no matter what he did, he couldn't take it off.
The smell of blood with its metallic sting was heavily present in the air, and AJ felt slightly nauseated by it.
A nurse escorted him to his bed and he lay down like a good little boy.
He couldn't help glancing left and right every once in a while, on the lookout for any Seedlings.
But nobody stood out in that regard and he was relieved.
Now what? he asked himself, looking around. He couldn't simply lie there and do nothing.
After a while, he noticed that some of the kids were wheeled away to a separate room. They seemed to be the ones who looked really close to dying, and he hoped they would be trea
ted there. Nothing special was done in the general area.
After about a whole second of consideration, AJ stood and started wandered about, investigating the now crowded building.
As far as he could tell, all the kids were given the same red bracelets while the military personnel wore blue.
That wasn't particularly interesting, but he stored the information for later. You never know when you'll need something.
Eventually, he stumbled upon River and saw immediately that she didn't look particularly hot at that moment.
“Hey, River.” He tried to get her attention, but her eyes were out of focus.
AJ tried again, patting her hand, and it worked—kind of.
She turned her head toward him but that was that.
“River?”
“What do you think you're doing?” A nurse appeared out of nowhere. “You can't bother the patients. Return to your bed,” she ordered, leaving no room for alternatives.
But that was his specialty.
“She's my friend. I only want to know how she is doing.”
“We are doing everything we can, now do as you're told.”
He was taken aback for a second since it had been a while since anyone had treated him like a child or a moron.
The nurse practically pushed him out of the way to reach River, and she started checking her vitals or something.
To AJ, it more looked like she was pretending to be busy rather than actually being busy.
“Don't worry,” a girly voice said from the nearby bed. “She is my sister's friend as well. I'll look after her.”
AJ smiled at the kid. “Thanks.”
Still frowning, he walked toward his bed when something else occurred to him. AJ marched straight to the door in the corner of the room, where some of the kids were being taken—never to return—but the goddamn door was locked.
“Can I help you?” a man in a hazmat suit inquired.
“Yeah, my friend just got wheeled inside and I want to make sure he's okay,” AJ lied like a pro.
“I'm sure he's taken care of,” the man replied cryptically.
“Was he given the cure?” AJ went straight to the point because he was curious to know if there was a cure in the first place.
“There is no cure.” Francis decided to throw his two cents in, but he was a bit biased.
Stay out of this. Nobody asked you.
“Believe me.”
You are full of crap, Francis.
“Well?” AJ prompted when the scientist kept looking at him.
“We are doing everything we can,” he said, the words clipped and rushed, and he unlocked the door.
AJ tried to follow him inside but was stopped by a guard.
“You need to return to your—”
“My bed, I know,” AJ interjected, a bit annoyed.
He hated all the red tape and the way they kept them all in the dark.
They were all in this boat together, so why all the secrecy?
Maybe they don't want to cause panic. AJ tried to rationalize things, looking for an explanation that made even a tiny bit of sense.
Or maybe they don't know what the fuck is going on.
“Why are you still out of your bed?” The same nurse appeared again.
How does she do that? Is she magic?
“Honestly, if one more person tells me to lie down, I'm gonna scream,” he snapped back, not caring that he sounded like a spoiled brat. And while he was on that subject, he might as well follow through. “And I want to speak with my parents.”
AJ couldn't remember where he’d left his cell, but someone could at least provide him with one phone call. Even prisoners got that much.
“I'm sure they're notified already and are on their way.” She tried to placate him, but he saw right through her.
Not bloody likely, AJ thought, since they were in London.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, fixing him with a curious look.
“Great.”
“When did you manifest the first symptoms?”
AJ struggled. “I don't know, a couple of hours ago maybe.”
She frowned at that. “Are you sure? You look pretty lively.”
He wanted to laugh at her choice of words. He was more livid than lively, hating everything about the place, but he kept that to himself.
“Come with me. I want the doctor to—”
“That's okay,” he interrupted, not wanting to be poked and probed. “I'm just gonna go and lie down for a moment. I suddenly feel a bit tired.” He even yawned for good measure, shuffling backward so he could keep an eye on her.
Of course, she wasn't fooled, but she still let it slide.
Stretching out on his uncomfortable bed, AJ thought about all the things he’d learned so far. And how he could use them to his advantage.
Maybe he could speak with someone in charge, maybe even help find a cure for this thing.
“I told you, there is no cure,” Francis insisted.
And I told you before that you are full of crap.
AJ was determined to find the truth, one way or another.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Paige was afraid to discover what would wait for her on the other side of the building, but she continued to march toward the exit regardless.
The words of the homeless woman still lingered in her mind, but Dave was right. She had more pressing matters than launching herself into another mission, even though it was tempting. She rubbed her head and felt a big bump. It has to be the bump. People don’t glow.
The sun beamed in through the windows, illuminating their path, allowing them to swiftly and somewhat safely make their way out of the old train station, just as the family had done a short while before.
Paige had no idea what to expect, so after taking the deepest breath she could, she stepped outside. Dave was close by, but she knew she couldn’t allow herself to become dependent on him no matter how much the idea tempted her.
Looking around at the city, she was horrified and heartbroken at the same time. She’d always loved New York, and to see it in such a state was devastating.
Everywhere Paige looked, only chaos greeted her. Pure and simple chaos. There were no other words to describe the mess that surrounded them.
People raced through the street, heedless of others and obviously in panic.
“Infected people are everywhere,” one man screamed at the top of his lungs, running past her.
He was not the only one. “Save yourselves…they are coming,” a woman shouted. She ran with her hands full of bags, but she dropped one.
Paige wanted to go grab it for her, but the woman hesitated for a second before abandoning it all together. “Save yourselves.”
“Please, Matt, pick up,” another one cried into her phone, clearly trying to reach a loved one.
“Daddy’s on the way, don’t worry,” a man promised into a phone while a trickle of blood ran down his lip.
A few people noticed just as he did.
“He is infected,” a group shouted at once. “Stay away from him. He’s gonna kill us all.”
The man in question wanted to defend himself but panic sparked violence, and he did the only thing he could. He ran away.
Paige noticed all this, and much more, in a flash.
Sounds of breaking glass and things being smashed mixed with the rest. She was shocked that some people had evidently decided the end of the world was the perfect time for vandalism and looting.
She saw one young guy carrying a TV from the store and simply shook her head in disbelief. What a strange, crazy thing to do in a moment like that.
The pillaging and destruction told only half the story.
Those who were clearly infected staggered around and mixed with the healthy. But they were easy to spot.
For some reason, Paige thought of River again and hoped she would get better.
One guy who was obviously affected since his whole shirt was bloody, as was his face, walked about
aimlessly, practically in a circle.
Then something else snatched her focus. “Please help me. Oh, God, no…please,” a woman wailed. She looked at her bloody hands as the blood poured from her nose, and she was clearly terrified. “I don’t want to die. Please! Can someone help me.” She sobbed, alone in the little space the crowd had created around her like a lonely island.
Paige wanted to cry with her but needed to remain strong for the people she loved.
Healthy people around the woman started moving farther away. “Get away from me,” one man shouted in anger.
“No one can help you now,” screamed another.
Again, Paige wished she could help in some way but like many others, had no clue what to do.
Most of the healthy people simply moved away from the infected like they had the plague or something—which, of course, they did, though one wearing a whole new face. It was a modern-age kind of a plague but just as deadly and destructive, as it turned out.
Maybe even more so.
“Score!” Suddenly, Dave cheered beside her and she watched him disappear into a souvenir shop.
Paige paused for a second, frowning as she tried to figure out what he was doing.
He was looting a store.
Once she saw this, she sighed and continued her journey. She didn’t have time for petty crimes right now. Her sister’s life was at stake. And even if she had the time, she’d never have the inclination. She’d only borrowed the car because she had no choice, but outright stealing was way beyond her comfort zone.
Saddened, she left Dave behind to pillage the store with the other people like some movie villain.
The journey from the station was hard on Paige, but what she saw happening all around her on the streets was far worse than anything she could imagine. It felt like she’d stepped into an end of the world movie without an exit.
A booming honk from a car quickly snapped her from her glum reverie, returning her to the harsh reality.
The streets almost resembled a car park with everyone making noise and trying to force their way through gaps that weren’t even there. Blockages and chaos inevitably resulted, pushing tempers even further.
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