"I do, upstairs."
"So, he’s that type of friend."
Hazel thought of his meaning for a long moment. "No. We grew up together, well he’s much older than me so he’s been like a big brother to me."
"Big brother. As he lets you live here and shit?"
"Yeah, why is that so hard to believe? Luc is a great guy, he told me if I’m ever in trouble I can come here. Actually, I was planning on moving in before all this happened. Want some food?"
"Why are you doing this? Aren’t you scared?" He looked down at the tattoo on his chest.
Hazel pulled the skillet down sitting it on the stove and grabbing the ingredients from the fridge.
"No, I’m not… I admit I’ve seen nothing like it in real life but…"
Their eyes met for just a moment. It was Varick who shied away. "Look, don’t get the wrong idea because I helped you and took you with me, I was paying you back for helping me, you’re a good fighter and useful." he felt agitated. "Now I need to go." He sat the revolver on the table ready to put on his damp clothing from the dryer if he had to.
"Oh please." Hazel said dismissively. "You think you’re the only person who used someone here? When I first saw you, I was gonna split, I figured someone had you chained there for a good reason and judging by your tattoo, I could even understand it. Until I saw how you handled yourself back there, even while chained." she shrugged. "I thought this guy is a good fighter, I may be able to live a bit longer if I stick with him, and look where it got me. I’m home, I’m safe, and all I have to do is wait for Luc to return."
Varick had to admit, he liked the way she thought. But there was nothing else to bind them. It was over. "So, I guess we’re both in agreement then. I used you and you used me."
He turned to head for the dryer. And Hazel walked from behind the kitchen nook until she stood before him looking up at the tall figure. She came to his chest, but it didn’t bother her one bit.
"Listen, just because we used each other doesn’t mean we have to be uncaring assholes to each other. I couldn't care less about you being a Nazi, I never cared about that type of stuff before and I’m not going to care now and none of that matters, anyway. I’m not gonna send you out there into that nightmare naked and defenseless. Whatever brutal nature you have that made you capable of doing what you did to that old man or why someone felt the need to chain you up… I’m not saying get rid it… that may actually be what you need to survive. But don’t let it consume you. Before you were focused and now, you’re all over the place, I’m not saying you have to spill your flipping autobiography, and I hate idle chat but at least rest and eat. You’re absolutely no good to your family like this, if you go there now you’ll just get them killed. I’m sure your family can wait until tomorrow." She then headed back to the bar taking the guns off the counter and handing them both to him. "Keep them, now what the heck do you wanna eat?"
Veggie bacon, veggie sausages, biscuits, and oatmeal and some leftover fruit platters were the meals of the day. Varick, now dressed in Luc's pajama clothes, looked at the bacon that was not bacon and frowned dissatisfied.
"Let me guess, you and Luc are vegetarians." He said picking up a limp piece of 'bacon'
"No, only Luc. But I eat it every once in a while, you can’t fill your colon with meat every day."
"I sure as hell can." After a long beat. "So, you were some sort of agent in training, huh?"
"You can say that. I wanted to become a number."
"Which is?"
"Intelligence, Assisting, and Support. I.A.S. You’re assigned to an agent on the field and you do whatever it takes to… fulfill their wishes sort of speak."
"Like if they need a special weapon or something you would get it?"
"Yeah. Or make sure it’s placed in a location where they can get it. If they need tickets to something, I arrange it, if they need assistance operating something they have no experience with, like a helicopter, I will be there to talk them through it. You'd be surprised how valuable useless information can be."
"Ah. Agent secretary." He pointed his fork at her from across the table.
Hazel laughed. "I suppose."
"See, I can’t spend my life behind a desk like that. Why not just do the real thing?"
"I’ve thought about it. But I’m not much of a fighter."
"You could have fooled me. You handled yourself pretty well out there."
"Luc taught me, I guess if my office was raided or something I could take care of myself long enough for help to arrive but I could never do what Luc does... I could never devote myself to principles or ideals, and die for them."
"Could I be… an agent?" Varick scoped the place, nice home, beautiful neighborhood, and a life of possible thrills, he felt like he'd missed his calling. "A nice place like this, I could get used to it." he leaned back almost picturing himself owning a place like this.
"Well you do like to fight." Hazel replied. "But you actually have to have brains as well."
Varick flinched slightly at the insult yet Hazel thought nothing of it, oblivious. Varick threw down his fork onto the plate done with his meal and roughly stood to drop his dishes in the sink. "How do I know those people aren’t after you?"
Hazel looked up from her book. "The people chasing us? Why would they?"
"You’re the one with the agent boyfriend." Varick was testy and offended.
"He’s not my boyfriend and I have no idea why those people were shooting at us." She shrugged.
Varick folded his arms disbelieving and Hazel was left at a loss for words, the silence was long and Varick leaned against the counter, he wondered if he should excuse himself and go to the guest bedroom she set up for him.
"Okay, Varick. I suppose you have a right to know." Hazel paused for a bit. "I think I might know why they're shooting at us."
"See." He threw up his hands. "Why the hell did you argue with me if you knew all along?"
"It's more of a guess than a certainty. I wasn't sure if I should uproot you over a guessing game."
"Okay, then what's your guess?"
"There's no easy way of saying it."
"Then blurt it out."
"I think we're infected."
"What type of bullshit is this?" He chuckled.
"I mean it. After you came out of that house, after... well you know what you did... I saw something in your eyes, They're red."
"I just killed a guy of course my eyes would probably be a bit blood shot. I was angry."
"I'm not talking about the whites, I mean the Iris. And I looked at my own eyes in the mirror and saw it too, but not as much as yours."
"We're not those fucking things, you have no reason to believe that."
"Look at my eyes." she protested.
Varick stared at her ignoring the sliver of red he looked away.
"Do you need a mirror?" Hazel asked prepared to show him.
"No!"
"When I was in the hospital, I got sick and I bet you did too. I'm better but I still feel heavy headed and feverish."
"It's hot in here." Varick looked around as though it were the simplest answer.
"There were times, while we were together where I noticed you sweating a lot, I thought that maybe you're just one of those people who sweat often but I barely sweat and even now I feel moist."
Varick chuckled at the double meaning.
"I'm saying I still feel sick, perv! What about you?"
"Nope, nothing." He shrugged. "I don't even know what brought this on. I'm fine, you look fine."
"I keep thinking about Jona." She pointed to the picture on the table near the couch. "She was Luc's wife. Eight years ago, she died after a bomb exploded in her face. She was fine, she wore protective gear, but she got sick, terribly sick and the doctors thought it was a flu. Then she seemed fine, she was sitting up in her bed, talking, joking, and laughing. She even wanted to go home. Suddenly the doctors were sealing her in bio containment and Luc couldn't even go near her, then just
like that she was dead. Maybe we have what she had, maybe it's a different strain of the virus or something and maybe we're at a stage where we're up and talking and want to go home, but what if we're just a ticking time bomb?" She spoke fast buried in her thoughts.
Varick marched over to her. She was slightly trembling. "We even had to have a closed casket because her coffin had to be wrapped in bio--" She stopped for a moment and frowned. She thought of her earlier ordeal, the people in the van who wanted to take her to Montréal.
"Look at me." Varick leaned in her face. "Open your mouth."
"Um." She hesitantly did as instructed.
"I see nothing but normal human teeth. Now look in mine." he held his mouth open. "Now what do you see?"
"Normal human teeth."
Varick stood straight. "That's right, fucking normal human teeth. You talk like we're already some nasty looking fucker running around eating people. We can think for ourselves, we can sit down and eat normal food... well I can, you can eat this rabbit food. But we ain't those things out there and we ain't becoming those things out there." He walked away. "It's not happening!" He shouted from back before closing the door.
It was just before dawn when Hazel awoke in the darkened house; she was sweating and restless; she traveled downstairs and opened the door to the guest room, checking in on Varick who tossed in his sleep. She headed silently to the living room and picked up a remote pressing a button which opened the wall above the fireplace displaying a large screen TV. She turned it on and tuned into the news. She wanted to know anything about the infection though she doubt she would get any real news out of them. She sighed before grabbing the paper slip she kept and she read the name of the company "Ambrosia Tech."
"Can't sleep either." Varick entered the living room and made a beeline to the kitchen, he was changed into his own now dry, clean clothes and he sported Luc's sleek sunglasses over his eyes. He turned on the lights and grabbed a bowl and began making himself some cereal. "I'll give'em back, I just-"
"You can keep them." Hazel rose from the couch and sat at the table resting her head in her hand. "Luc hated those, said it made him look like a gigolo so they've been just sitting in that room for two years."
Varick raised his head from the bowl and looked toward the door. Hazel heard it too, footsteps, multiple steps coming toward the door. She sighed. 'It could be Luc.' She stood and rushed to the door but stopped when she heard multiple voices.
*Loud knock*
Varick stood and walked over to the counter where the revolver was left on the surface. Her apprehension only heightened his own.
"Anybody there?" Dunham's was heard on the other side.
"Hello?" Hazel answered standing by the door.
"Um.... Ha... Hazel is that you?"
"Who are you?"
"Oh. I work with your friend, Luc."
"He's not here."
"Yeah, hey I got something I need to tell you about him. Mind letting me in?"
Hazel stepped away from the door.
"Any way to look out?" Varick whispered.
"Yeah." she slid out a small slot on the window shutter.
"Um. Why can't you just tell me?"
"Well you see Luc was injured pretty bad." He spoke solemnly. "I don't know how long he's got, so he needs to see you before it's over."
Hazel stepped away from the door. She was worried and afraid and she wanted to open the door and follow that fear yet her hand stayed. She looked to Varick who shook his head and slid the slot close.
"They're several dudes with guns surrounding the house." He whispered. "Sedans."
She ran to the narrow metal door inside the house, what looked like an oddly placed closet down a small set of steps, she punched in the code, the door unsealed with a whoosh. Varick slipped on his boots and followed her inside much to his surprise it was an entire storage bin of weapons. "Who the fuck is this Luc guy?"
"Take whatever you can carry, there are some holsters here too."
She ran upstairs leaving the man to continue to knock at the door until he grew bolder. She slipped on her own clothing and boots and ran downstairs and into the storage room to load up on guns and ammo.
Varick picked up a massive hand gun that extended the width of his chest. The .600 Nitro express magnum revolver. He searched for the bullets nearby finding an entire box. He quickly holsters himself and loaded it then stuffing the belt pouch with a box. He and Hazel snatch whatever they could when a loud banging on the front door stopped them. They finished up and headed inside the living room.
"Out the garage. Let’s go."
The garage crashed open as they peeled fast down the road. The men signaled one another, and they gave chase. Varick flew down the empty road with the black cars closing the gap.
Hazel pointed ahead. "Varick! A road block!"
"I see it!" He veered right through a nearby drive way. A car crashed into the blockade. "Hold on tight!" He crashed through a wooden fence.
Varick veered onto a large street and a large SUV slammed into one of the black Sedans smashing it into a gas pump blasting fire and smoke. Several Sedans and SUVs move fast on their trail.
Varick steered the machine down toward the freeway at the last moments and the SUVs took the high road while the Sedans remained hot on their tails. A white helicopter hovered above, flashing its lights on the scene below, a soldier sat at a turret spraying bullets at the SUVs. Varick sped up. Hazel pulled out her gun. The SUVs arrived slamming into the Sedans who gave just as good and the men from each set of cars began firing rounds but not at Hazel or Varick but at each other!
"What the hell is going on?!" Varick said dumbfounded.
"They’re killing each other!"
"What?! You sure you wanna keep hanging out with me?"
"I should probably ask you that."
"Screw it! Let’s take this chance and go!"
Hazel fired several rounds into the tire of the SUV sending it spiraling into the closest Sedan and crashing them into the divider.
Varick sped up the exit ramp, he turned into a lot and up a wooden ramp sending them flying through the air and over a fence. Varick kept going, totally unstoppable until a wrong turn sent them crashing and spiraling to the ground near a construction site. Hazel grabbed hold of the metal scaffolding that sent her dangling several stories off the ground. Varick was tumbling fast down a large shaft, the bike licking hot at his heels, the burning hell on wheels just shy of his balls.
"Shit!" He said relieved. He tossed the broken bike away and stood, the stairs were broken but he was sure there had to be another way and he was determined to find it.
"Varick!" Hazel called from above.
"I’m okay! Keep moving I’m heading to the other side!"
"I can't!"
She finally spotted Varick on the other side of a tall gate and there was no way she could make the jump over and the men in the black suits were not too far behind.
The SUVs parked under the scaffolding and several agents began to make the ascent. Hazel’s only option was to jump but such a leap was doomed for drastic failure.
"What the hell do you want from me!?" Hazel yelled losing her cool. She shot several rounds to deter the men from approaching.
Varick found himself pinned down behind several large metal crates. The men piled out the Sedans like clowns from a small car circus act, heavy guns in hand. The men scattered and the gun fight began.
"Sonofabitch!" Varick watched Hazel who managed to move just above him, she kicked at her pursuers but it was pointless. She was trapped, and they both knew it. But he could still escape if he played his cards right. 'If they only want the girl…'
The helicopter approached from opposite sides. Varick blasted one of the agent's skull to pieces and began to reload.
A voice boomed loud on the speaker from the dark helicopter. "Varick Reiniger. Put your weapons down and come out, we are here in peace. No one has to get hurt."
'They want me?' "What the hel
l do you want?" Varick shouted. He thought of the kid he killed and closed his eyes. 'Fuck!' he screamed in his head. He tried to think of an escape plan. "Come in peace my ass." he mumbled unwilling to fall for the ruse.
Varick remained hidden and used the opportunity to sneak around the crates. He kept his eyes on the girl dangling above him. "Let go!" he shouted to her.
"Are you crazy?!"
"Yeah! Just do it!" An agent shot a volt through Hazel’s body weakening her grip on the rails. Instincts and reflexes, Varick reached out catching the girl and landing hard on the ground. The soldier on the turret fired on the agents and they turned the site into a private battlefield.
Hazel felt her legs give but Varick was not sticking around long enough to wait, he reached out pulling her along and out of fear of being left behind she mustered her strength to run behind him. They ran down the almost claustrophobic path. Varick kicked open a nearby door, grabbing Hazel and pulling her inside.
Only a second later did the brick and stucco wall crash open spraying dust and debris and Riddick was back, a hand around Varick’s throat and slamming him against everything he could find. It was the broiler room of a school in the midst of reconstruction before the sickness took over and everything, including tools from the workers were left in place. Through the door the two went as Varick struggled against the massive arms gripping him and flinging him into the large gym.
Hazel followed climbing high on the scaffolding pushing the thick tiles in a timely fashion until she rocked and shook the entire structure. "Move Varick!" She jumped on the climbing rope and climbed down as the entire scaffolding tumbled onto the beast burying him.
"Nice work!" Varick smiled, looking at the pile of rubble. "I thought the bastard was dead."
"Let’s hurry and get out of here before he recovers."
They exited the gym and trek down the hall, the school was dark and quiet but hardly a place of refuge.
Hazel shook the chained door. "Dead end."
"Dead end here too." Varick jiggled the chain on the door as though that alone would break it.
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