Thank goodness I decided not to drive into the city, she thought with relief. But remembering how that turned out put a dampener on her small victory.
She’d made it this far—and alive, too, and unhurt—so that was a definite win in her book. And once she found Willow, things would be golden.
Once she reunited with her sister, though, what was the next step? Paige had no idea how they would get out of the city.
The subway was out of the question. Taxis were hard enough to hail even when the world wasn’t flipped upside down, so that wasn’t a viable option either.
She could really use the bikes she’d seen back at college, but thinking about useless, unreachable things now wouldn’t get her anywhere.
So, her face set and resolute, Paige simply held her head up and continued her journey.
If only she could run. Agitation pushed her to speed up but running wasn’t possible at the moment. Too many people were in her way, and the roads were jammed as well. She’d simply waste her energy trying to do the impossible
Making her way slowly through the crowd, Paige saw the best and worst of humanity in one frame. Somehow, it was logical to think there were good and bad people in the world and a whole lot more that fell in the middle area. The problem was that when crisis struck, you could never be too sure how some people would react.
A smash and a screech of tires accelerating made her turn her head toward the street again. In the middle of all this chaos, another tragedy unfolded. A car had crashed into another vehicle and the driver didn’t even pause to see what damage he’d caused. He’d simply driven away.
As far as Paige could see, a whole family was inside the wrecked car, and badly hurt, too. Instinctively, her legs seemed to pull her in that direction but something else made her pause. A guy who was clearly in some motorbike gang stopped beside the car on his Harley.
He circled the car once, clearly assessing the damage, then returned to the driver’s side and yanked the door. It had been mangled and bent crooked in the impact and wouldn’t budge.
Frustrated, he returned to his motorbike, and Paige worried that he would simply walk away.
She could hear cries from inside the cars and the biker responded, but Paige was too far away to hear the actual words. It looked like he was reassuring them, and she held her breath, hoping she was right.
That proved to be true as he returned with a crowbar and smashed the window. He managed the pull the man from the car, and then together, they helped the rest of the family out one by one.
“My daughter needs help,” the man urged as they worked to get the child out. Paige held her breath when she saw all the blood staining her clothing.
“That’s not hers,” the father explained. He looked torn between helping the rest of his family or staying with his daughter, so the biker urged him.
“Go, help them. I got her. Grateful, the father rushed back to help his wife.
The girl looked unconscious, but the biker placed her on the ground and started CPR.
Barely a minute later, she moved, and Paige exhaled slowly. The man and his wife, now free of the wreckage, rushed to her side. They hugged their daughter and the man who saved her.
For the briefest of moments, Paige thought that humanity maybe still had a chance.
Witnessing one happy ending, at least, she managed a small smile as she continued her journey.
Over time, she managed to pick up her pace a little, as much as something like that was possible on the crowded streets. She needed to get to 79th and Central Park where the Natural History Museum was located. She prayed with all her might that Willow was still there because if she wasn’t—
No. She stopped that train of thought with a firm denial. She wouldn’t entertain that idea for even a microsecond.
Willow would be waiting for her at the museum and together, they were going to get their mother. End of story.
Determined, she picked up her pace for real now, trying to reach her goal as quickly as possible.
“What are you doing?” Dave’s question made her jump. She turned to look at him and he was bent in half, trying to catch his breath.
Where did he come from? she wondered, trying to stop her racing heart.
“You almost gave me a heart attack,” she muttered. “Please don’t sneak up on me like that.”
Instead of apologizing, he only looked amused. “I gave you a heart attack? I’m the one hyperventilating here,” he complained. “For someone your size, you sure can move.”
Paige continued to walk at a fast pace and he followed her.
His pockets were bulging with goodies that he’d stolen. It even looked like a had a metal mini replica of the Empire state building that he played with as he walked.
“Did you really need all that stuff?” Paige asked suddenly, not able to help herself.
He shrugged calmly. “Why not? It’s free.”
“It’s not free,” Paige countered immediately. “That store has an owner. And he probably has a family that he supports with it.”
Dave looked at her for a moment before he exhaled pretty loudly, as if annoyed. But with whom was unspecified. “Fine, I’ll find a way to get it all back,” he declared, catching her off guard. “But not the food. We need that, right? To survive?”
Paige paused because maybe he was right.
She had been so focused on getting there she never stopped to think about the essentials like food and water. She didn’t need to though, because Dave had them. He was clearly the practical one. She shook her head at that thought.
If the world really went crazy they would need provisions and somehow, she doubted she could waltz into the first store and buy what she needed.
Most of the stores were already cleaned out by shoppers and looters alike, as far as she could see.
Right on cue, her stomach growled.
“Here, have a Snickers and a bottle of water,” Dave said, sounding like a commercial, and Paige took the offering.
“Thanks.”
She gulped down half the water, then slipped it into the side pocket of her backpack. Unwrapping the Snickers and taking the first bite made her sigh with contentment. It wasn’t a Mac D’s but tasted just as sweet, and Dave chuckled beside her.
He was eating as well, and when he noticed her watching him, he winked. “Doesn’t it taste better knowing you got it for free?”
It did, though Paige would never say that out loud.
“You’re not planning on walking all the way there, are you?” he asked.
She shrugged. It seemed like a stupid question, so there was no point in trying to answer.
“You know it’s more than fifteen blocks away. It’ll take us forever with all these people in the way,” he pointed out.
Paige looked around for an idea and thought she saw the woman and baby from the train.
“It’s not like we have any other choice. Do you have a helicopter I don’t know about stashed someplace?” She didn’t really look at Dave, more focused on finding out if it was the mother. The woman’s white dress with red roses danced in the late afternoon breeze.
It is her.
Dave chuckled. “I have an idea—wait here.” Paige pulled on his jacket, stopping him in his tracks.
“What?”
“The woman and the baby from the train.” She pointed down the street in the direction they had come from. The woman stood there, looking confused. They hadn’t made it to her mother’s house.
“We need to help them first.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Dave looked at the mother, then up the street in the direction of the museum where he hoped his brother was. But he couldn’t leave the baby. Neither of them could.
Paige had already started to walk towards the woman and he quickly caught up.
As they drew closer, it was clear that the woman stood motionless and stared out into nothing.
Paige picked up their pace and in no time, they had reached them.
The baby was crying, but the mother was doing nothing.
“Hello,” she said, hoping to snap the lady her out of her zombie-like trance. It didn’t work. “Can I hold your baby? She’s beautiful.” Still, the mother didn’t respond.
She took the baby gently in her arms and rocked her to soothe her cries.
“Where does your mother live?”
The woman was completely non-responsive.
“Dave, we need to find her mother.”
He nodded. “I agree but how? I don’t have a clue where her mom lives.”
“Her phone would have the number in it.” Paige looked at the woman. She didn’t have a purse and there weren’t any pockets in her summer dress. “Damnit, her purse must be on the train. We’ll have to take them somewhere else—a medical center.”
Dave pulled out his phone. “Good idea! There’re loads around here. One second.” He zoomed in on the map and found one a block away from them. He raised his phone in the air, looking like a tour guide. “This way.”
Holding the baby, she followed him, then stopped. The mother hadn’t moved. She seemed stuck to the sidewalk, frozen by the virus. “Mmm…Dave, a little help here.”
He stopped, turned, and headed back. “It may as well be blocks away.” Then he grinned. “What’s your name?” he asked the woman, but she didn’t respond. “We’ll call you Rose, then, after the roses on your dress. We’re going for a little walk to get you some help.” He took Rose’s hand and led her forward. Unbelievably, she followed.
“We’ll call you Petal,” Paige told the baby in her arms, and she brushed down her hair and straightened her hair clip.
“Cute name, Night Girl.” Dave grinned.
“Thanks, School Boy.”
The group walked to the end of the block, and Dave let go of Rose’s hand. “We’re here.”
Rose carried on walking, so Dave jogged after her, took her hand, and led her back. “Another woman trying to get anyway from my charm.” He winked.
Paige couldn’t help but laugh. She held the door to the medical clinic open. A lot of people waited for the elevator.
Dave led Rose to the door. “Come on, Rose, let’s get you inside.”
On the wall was a large chart of all the offices in the building, Paige scanned this list. The clinic was on the fifth floor.
They joined the others waiting for the elevator. Finally, after people came and went in a seemingly endless stream, it was their turn.
The doors opened on a man and a woman. She had blood on her face, and his eyes were red from anger. “They won’t see you. They are sending the sick away,” he yelled as he led is infected wife out of the elevator.
The group stepped into the elevator. Paige went to press the button for the fifth floor, but there was blood on it. She used her jacket to press the button. Before the doors could close, other sick people entered along with their loved ones.
Those who were healthy shared the same look on their faces—fear. The infected had the same look, too—lost.
The daft elevator songs played as they lifted up through the levels. Paige whispered to Dave, “We need to make her look like she’s not infected.” She nodded at Rose. “Can you hold Petal?”
He held out his hands for the baby. “Sure. Come here, chubby cheeks.”
She passed her into his hands and he smiled at the little girl. “Who’s a cutie pie? Me? Why, thank you, Petal.” He laughed at his own little joke, and the baby gurgled happily in response.
Paige rummaged in her backpack, pulled one of her T-shirts out, then took her water bottle and poured it on the shirt.
“Rose, you have something on your face from the train crash. Please can I clean it off?” Rose didn’t respond, so Paige decided to take that as a yes and got to work cleaning the dry and fresh blood dripping from Rose’s face. There were drops of blood on the rose-patterned white dress. To cover up what she could, Paige buttoned up the lady’s red cardigan.
Quickly, she straightened Rose’s hair. Paige smiled at her—she’d done a good job to make her look not infected. If only she could get rid of the blank stare.
The elevator pinged. Time was up. The doors opened and people rushed out like they were after the last slice of pizza.
“Pass Petal to me.”
“Oh, we were having fun. Later, chubby cheeks,” Dave said, grinning at Petal as he passed her over. “Where’s my date at?” he asked as he looked at Rose. “You look lovely. Let’s get you to your date.” He held her hand and led her out of the elevator.
Always like Dave to lighten up the atmosphere. Under normal circumstances, his almost corny comments might even be amusing. Right now, they seemed to defuse the tension a little, and she was grateful for that.
The chaotic sound of voices could be heard before they turned the corner to the medical clinic. The hallway in front was full, and the door to the clinic was closed.
Dave looked at Paige in a panic.
She wasn’t going to make this a wasted trip. “Follow me.” Dave looked confused but let her lead the way.
“Excuse me. I have a baby,” she announced firmly as she weaved her way through the crowd. People moved out of the way. Some complained but others looked at Paige with pity. So far, so good.
“They won’t see you,” a man said as she reached the front of the crowd, Dave and Rose right behind her.
She knocked on the wooden door, but it didn’t open, and she heard no response.
“See,” the man said smugly.
See nothing! Paige pulled her cell phone out and found the number for the medical clinic. She could hear the phone ringing through the wooden door.
Please answer. She could feel the man breathing down her neck and held her breath, waiting for them to pick up. After what felt like a lifetime, they did.
“Hello, I’m outside the door—”
Before Paige could continue, a female interrupted. “We cannot accept any more patients.”
Paige had to think quickly. “I have a baby. She was in a train crash.”
The line on the other side went silent, then she heard muffled voices.
Paige kissed Petal on the head, held her breath again, and the door clicked and opened.
Quickly, Paige turned to Dave. “Be ready,” she whispered.
A man peeked his head around the door, and Paige held Petal out. “Help her.” She pushed the baby forward so the man had no choice but to take her. Once she was safely in the man’s hands, Paige moved out the way but put her boot in the doorway, preventing the man from closing it. On cue, Dave pushed Rose forward.
“This is Petal’s mother, Rose,” he said.
Once Rose was inside, Paige removed her boot. As she did so, others rushed forward.
“Please help my wife.”
“Help my son.”
Others called out for help for their loved ones as the door closed and locked. No one else would get into the medical clinic. People took to their phones frantically and called the medical clinic in the hope that they would be as successful as Paige had been.
***
Paige and Dave made their way hastily through the packed hallway before the mob turned angry.
They hurried to the elevator, then let out a sigh of relief at the same time and both laughed.
“Rose and Petal will be okay. Now we need to find our brother and sister,” she told him.
“Night Girl and School Boy can do it.” He laughed.
The elevator doors opened, and people pushed past them to get to the clinic. “After you,” Dave told them. Neither had the heart to warn them that they wouldn’t be admitted.
They stepped into the empty elevator and she pressed the button for the ground level. The doors closed swiftly.
“I wonder what else we’ll have to face today? It can’t get any worse than this. Can it?” she asked as she raised her eyebrow.
“Hopefully, the superheroes will come to life and bring sanity to this madness. Who’s your favorite superhero?”
“Thor,” she replied instantly.
“I’d say you’ve thought about this.”
“What’s there to think about? Thor is a God with a hammer.”
“And a fine body,” Dave added grinning.
Time for a bit of fun. “So you like a bit of Thor yourself?”
“What’s not to like? He always looks like a tasty snack.” Dave bust out laughing. “But Wonder Woman is more my type, if you get what I mean.” He winked meaningfully.
“What, that you like girls, not dudes?”
“Well, yeah. But I’m more Superman than Batman.”
“Me too. And I hate Ironman. Ironman and Batman are both the same—rich men.”
Dave nodded in agreement. “Totally! And there’s Deadpool.”
Paige made a sad face. “Deadpool… I’ll never get to watch it.”
“Day’s not over yet. I said I’d take you. I don’t normally have two dates with two women on one day, but I’ll break my rules for you.” He winked again as the elevator pinged at their floor.
“Date, hey?”
The door opened to reveal another large group of people, both healthy and sick.
Dave stepped out quickly. “Sure, why not?” he asked as he shuffled around the crowd.
Paige caught up to him quickly. He stood on the sidewalk outside the building, looking in the direction in which they needed to go.
“How will we get all the way up there?” Paige questioned, feeling like they’d come full circle, right back to the beginning.
He placed both hands on her shoulders. “Just trust me, okay?” He looked at her with such sincerity that she caved and nodded, the assurance comforting though it didn’t quite dispel the heaviness creeping in.
He dashed away, disappearing into the crowd, and Paige immediately wondered if she made a terrible mistake.
Standing around there was wasting precious time, but some part of her told her Dave was a decent guy, even though he didn’t always act like one, so she stayed put.
A little restless, she turned to check there was no one coming after her. Those crazy people calling her Seedling had put her on edge, entrenching a steady anxiety that was manageable when she was busy.
Contamination (Invasion Survivor Book 1) Page 12