by Kate L. Mary
Angus nodded, but his expression didn’t change. Parv held his gaze, waiting patiently for him to answer. He took his time though, lighting a cigarette as he and my aunt looked at each other, inhaling slowly before he spoke.
“There was a time when I woulda thought somethin’ like this was black and white,” he said, smoke coming out with his words. “But that ain’t how it is and what happened inside them walls is as gray as it can get. Helen was there. She was one of the first people I saw when I woke up twenty years ago, but she wasn’t the one behind all this and she was as much of a victim as I was.” His gaze moved to Glitter. “She raised my girl. Did a damn good job, too. When they took Glitter from her, it just ‘bout killed Helen. She only came back ‘cause she knew she couldn’t leave Glitter behind. From then on, everything she did was aimed at helpin’ us get free. Even when Jane got our daughter out and I was left behind, Helen stayed. She knew ‘bout Margot and I know that’s gonna be a tough thing for you to forgive, but you gotta. She didn’t tell you ‘cause it wasn’t the right time.”
A sniff drew my gaze away from Angus and I found Mom’s face streaked with tears. “I don’t know when everyone decided I was too weak to handle all these secrets.”
“That ain’t it,” Angus said, his voice softer. “It was too dangerous. That’s all.”
Mom just shook her head. “It wasn’t any more dangerous for me to know that Axl was immune than it was for anyone else, but for some reason I’m the one who was left in the dark.”
Angus crossed the distance between himself and mom, and pulled her in for a hug. The cigarette was still between his lips when he said, “I don’t know why Axl didn’t tell you, but I know he must’ve had a damn good reason. He loved you from the first day you met. I knew it back then and I know it ain’t changed, even if it’s been twenty years since I’ve seen him. If he didn’t tell you it was ‘cause he wanted to protect you.”
Ten
Donaghy
It was early. What time I didn’t know since there wasn’t a damn clock anywhere, but early enough that the lights hadn’t been on longer than thirty minutes. I was still lying in bed, my arm thrown over my face to block out the blinding lights, but even with my eyes closed the beams seemed brighter than the goddamn sun. Or it could have been my mood that made them seem that way. I’d been in this cell for maybe thirty-six hours and already I was depressed. I wanted to turn the lights off and burrow under the scratchy blanket covering my bed, to pull it up over my head and block everything out. But like everything else in this world, I had no fucking control over the lights.
My door clicked and a whoosh of air rushed in from the hall when it was pushed open, letting in the scent of death and bleach. I moved my arm just enough to uncover one eye, cracking it so my retinas weren’t scorched by the lights. I let out a low curse that ended up sounding more like a snarl when Jackson’s cocky face came into view.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growled, not moving.
When he grinned down at me, the overhead lights highlighted the bruise on the right side of his face and the cut on his lip. Other than that he didn’t seem at all affected by what had happened the last time he was here, and I couldn’t help picturing the battered face of Axl James when they’d wheeled him away.
I pushed myself up to a sitting position before the prick in front of me could utter a word. “Is he alive?”
Jackson’s eyebrows jumped up. “Axl?”
“You know exactly who I’m talking about.”
I pushed myself to my feet, hoping to intimidate the little man in front of me, but he didn’t take a step back. Two guards walked into the room behind him, and even though I hated to admit it, their presence sure as fuck intimidated me.
“He’s alive. Head injury. It should heal, but he’s being monitored.”
Jackson shrugged like it was no big deal. Before I had a chance to respond he nodded and the guards were moving forward. These men were with him for a reason, and whatever that reason was, I knew it had to do with me.
I took a step back, but there was nowhere for me to go. The bed was behind me, and when I moved all it did was cause me to topple down onto the mattress. Before I had a chance to get back to my feet the guards were on me. They held me down, overpowering me even though I fought as hard as I could. My bruised side throbbed with every move I made, but there was no way I could get free. An arm was shoved against my neck, choking me just enough to send a jolt of panic through me, but not enough to stop me from breathing.
“Meg’s disappearance has put a wrench in my plans.” Jackson walked forward until he was standing over me. “I was furious at first, but I’ve had time to think it over and I believe I’ve come up with an alternative.” He pulled a syringe from his pocket. “It won’t be quite as gratifying as what I’d had planned, but I’m a flexible person.”
He moved closer, his gaze holding mine as he pulled the cap off the needle. I growled and squirmed and pushed against the men holding me down, but they only held me tighter. Jackson smiled. He put his hand on my cheek and pressed my face harder against the mattress, and every muscle in my body strained as panic set in. The poke of the needle against my neck made me jerk, and then I felt it, the slight burn of something entering my blood. It moved down my neck to my chest, spreading out faster than I thought possible. I sucked in a breath as the burn moved through me, wanting to scream in frustration, to rip away from these men and beat the shit out of Jackson.
But when he finally stepped back and the guards let me go, all I could do was sink to the floor. The burn had faded, but it didn’t matter. I knew what he’d done and I knew what was going to happen, and I had a feeling that no matter how painful the ache in my chest was right now, it would be nothing compared to what I was in for.
“You have time,” Jackson said, drawing my gaze to him. He waved the now empty syringe in front of me, still smiling. “It’s an old strain. The first mutation. Remember that one? Remember how slowly it worked, how people would turn before their hearts had stopped beating?”
His words made my own heart pound faster because I had a very good idea where this was going.
“So?” I muttered, trying to sound tough even though I felt on the verge of crumpling.
“So, we are going to let you go.” His lips twitched like he was holding in a laugh.
“You want me to lead you to her?” I shook my head and didn’t bother holding back a laugh. “I don’t know where she is you asshole. I was here when they took off, remember?”
“I never thought you’d lead me to her.” Jackson shrugged. “But I have no doubt in my mind that she’ll find out what you’re going through. It may draw her out, or it may not. Either way, Meg will hear about every second of pain you go through.”
He snapped his fingers and the guards were back. It was like a reverse of when I’d been brought here, only instead of being dragged in I was dragged out. Out of my cell, down the hall, passing the other victims trapped here until I was pulled outside. The sun was brighter than the lights had been, making it impossible to see, but I could hear the truck’s engine as clear as day.
I fought, but there was no real point. What could I do? Run back into the CDC? No. That would be insane and it wouldn’t get me anywhere. The best thing I could do was let them take me back to Dragon’s and pray that there was a cure stashed in the bar. Pray that he and Helen knew where Meg was and that everything turned out all right.
Once I was in the back of the truck it took off down the road. The guards sat next to me, glaring like I was scum or already a zombie, but as far as I knew Jackson had stayed behind. Which was fine with me. If I never saw that little asshole’s face again it would be too soon.
It was a short ride, and when we pulled up in front of Dragon’s I was dragged out and practically tossed onto the ground. My already bruised body hit the pavement, causing the air to whoosh from my lungs, and my head didn’t fare much better. A throb started at my left temple from where it had made con
tact with the ground, sending an ache through my skull.
The truck sped away, doing a U-turn in the middle of the street and leaving me lying on the ground. I stared up, blinking to make the dragon above the door come into view. From this vantage point it looked bright and gaudy, especially compared to the awful condition of the rest of the businesses around me.
It took me a few minutes for me to pull myself together, but once I had I dragged myself to my feet. The door was locked, which was no surprise since it was early, so I banged on it until my hand throbbed. The thump of my fist against the door bounced off the surrounding buildings and echoed down the empty street, but no one answered.
Hopefully Dragon and Helen hadn’t run too. If they had, I was royally fucked.
I waited nearly a minute after knocking the first time, and when no one answered I pounded my fist against the door again. This time it was yanked open so fast that it nearly scared the shit out of me and I found myself taking a step back.
“What—” Dragon’s words died on his lips when he saw me.
His eyes darted past me, and then he grabbed my arm and yanked me inside. I stumbled forward, nearly tripping over my own two feet, and the door was slammed behind me. The bar was quiet and dimly lit. The stench of death hung in the air, but it wasn’t quite strong enough to mask the other smells: alcohol, sweat, and mildew.
“How did you get here?” Dragon said when he had the door securely locked.
He looked me over, frowning at the way I held my side or maybe the sweat beaded on my forehead. Hell, for all I knew he could see the puncture mark on my neck where Jackson had stuck me or some other sign that I was infected.
“Jackson had me dumped here.” I paused and took a deep breath, finding the words nearly impossible to get out. “He injected me.”
Dragon’s eyes widened. “With the virus?”
I snorted but it nearly got caught in my throat on the way out. “Of course. What the hell else would he inject me with?”
Dragon’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but I wasn’t sure if he was trying to rein in his anger or if he was scared out of his mind at the thought that I could be injected with a strain he knew nothing about.
“How long ago?” he asked.
“Fifteen minutes, probably less.”
Dragon headed for the bar, calling over his shoulder, “We have the vaccine.”
“It won’t matter,” I replied, stopping him in his tracks.
He turned to face me almost hesitantly. Like he knew what I was going to say but wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear it. “Why not?”
“It’s the first mutation.”
The revelation was met with silence.
Jackson hadn’t needed to tell me anything about that particular strain for me to remember it. The first mutation had had a pretty big impact on the remaining population for a few reasons. For starters it had been the first time the virus had presented differently, but also because it was the first time those infected with the virus weren’t predictable. Before this strain we’d known what to expect, how long we had until the infected person turned and the pattern the virus would take. But this strain had changed everything and people died because of it. And not just the infected. People waited too long to put a blade through their loved ones brains, thinking they had time. Only this strain of the virus had caused them to become violent while their hearts were still beating, meaning they would attack before they’d actually died. It caught us off guard. Caused a lot of casualties.
But that had been eighteen years ago now, and the virus had changed so many times since then that we barely saw that strain anymore. The vaccines distributed by the CDC had changed with the mutations too, and I doubted that anyone who had a stockpile of meds would still have the vaccine from that particular mutation in their possession. Dragon included.
I felt like dropping to the floor. My side throbbed and I was fairly certain I had a couple bruised ribs, but worse than the pain in my side was the ache that was currently moving through my veins. I could actually feel the virus making its way through me, working its twisted magic and slowly turning me into a monster. Would I know I was turning before it happened or would it be a surprise? Would I be aware of the hunger growing inside me or would I snap in the blink of an eye?
“Get up,” Dragon’s voice boomed through the bar. “We’re going.”
I dragged myself to my feet even though I didn’t really see the point. “Where?”
God, how could a person have so little hope left inside them and still manage to stay on their feet? Just going by the dejected tone of my voice, you’d think I was curled up in a ball on the floor.
Dragon charged toward the back of the bar and headed down the stinking hall that led to the bathroom and the basement. I followed, dragging my feet as I thought about the night I’d met Meg. All I’d wanted was to get cleaned up after the fight, but I’d stumbled upon her in the bathroom. A man had been in the middle of attacking her, and if I hadn’t stepped through that door when I did, the asshole would have had his way with her, but I’d gotten there in the nick of time.
The smells from the bathroom were rank and offensive. They should’ve turned my stomach, but instead they reminded me of how Meg had looked that day. Innocent and scared, and utterly beautiful and perfect. Of course, I didn’t register how pretty she was in that moment because all I’d been able to think about was Patty. My sister who’d been violated in the same way, who’d suffered more than anyone should have to. I’d seen red and had attacked, ripping the asshole off Meg and killing him before I’d even registered what I was doing.
Dragon passed the bathroom and headed down to the basement. I was dragging my feet but I did my best to keep up with him. I wasn’t sure if my hesitation was from the hopelessness I was feeling or the virus working its way through me, though.
I’d only been in the basement one other time, back when I’d helped Glitter and Meg bring more booze up, and just like the first time I was struck by how pristine it was compared to upstairs. Dragon headed for the door I’d noticed the first time I was down here, pausing to type a code into the keypad beside it. The lock clicked and he pulled the door open, revealing an apartment unlike anything I’d ever seen. Other than the Regulator’s house, there was nothing nice anymore. Most people lived in homes or apartments that wore two decades of age and neglect on them. Not this place, though. It was like the apocalypse hadn’t touched the apartment. Like we’d walked through a portal to another period where people had time to clean and where furniture could be purchased brand new.
“What the hell?” I muttered, stumbling over the threshold behind Dragon.
He didn’t look over his shoulder when he said, “I like things clean.”
That was an understatement.
He waved to the kitchen table and I took that as my cue to sit down. Or more like fall down, my ass barely hitting the chair. I felt like I was watching everything happen around me, not living it, and I had to be imagining the chill creeping through me because there was no way this virus worked that fast. It couldn’t have been longer than thirty minutes since I’d been injected, and I knew this thing would take a good two days to change me completely. That was what I’d always heard, anyway. As long as the vaccine was given within forty-eight hours, the infected person usually survived.
The question was: would we be able to find a vaccine in that time?
I swallowed and found that my throat felt as dry as a desert. When was the last time I’d had something to drink? I couldn’t remember, so I got up and stumbled to the sink. When I turned the faucet on, water poured out and I shoved my face under it. It was lukewarm but somehow felt hot against my skin, and even though I sucked a bunch down, my mouth still felt like it had been stuffed full of cotton.
“We need to leave.”
I turned at the sound of a scratchy voice and found Dragon and Helen standing behind me, but for a moment I couldn’t figure out why. There was a hissing sound and when I looked back the other way
I found the water running in the sink. Did I turn that on? I swallowed, but I had no saliva, so I leaned down and sucked up water from the faucet. It was lukewarm but somehow—
“Donaghy.” Dragon’s voice made me stand up straight. “We need to leave.”
“Where?” I asked.
“To Meg,” Helen said, holding her hand out to me like she thought I was a small child and I needed a helping hand.
Maybe I was. I felt like it. I felt like I didn’t really know what the hell was going on. But I did know that I wanted to go see Meg, so I took Helen’s hand and walked when she pulled me forward.
Dragon headed back out into the basement before opening another door, and when we stepped from the spotless room into the tunnel, I felt certain that I was dreaming. Cobwebs brushed my face and got caught on my hair. They clung to my arms and things—bugs or rodents, I wasn’t sure which—scurried through the darkness. The tunnel seemed to go on forever, and then we were climbing or flying, up and up and up, finally stepping into a room that looked as if it had been the center of the apocalypse.
Helen still had my hand and I followed obediently, unsure of where we were going but aware of every single thing happening in my body. The tingle of the virus moving through my veins, the burn that continued to throb at the injection site, the goose bumps that popped up on my skin as the chills moving through me grew more intense, the burning need for water that made my mouth feel like it was on fire.
We were outside in minutes, and then moving down the street. The stench of death was all around me and I braced myself for the zombies that I knew would soon be charging. I imagined that I was in the ring, that two of the creatures were chained up on the other side, fighting to get free. When I looked at them, their faces transformed, becoming other people. Meg, her face unchanged but resting on the shoulders of a decaying body that hung with loose and rotting flesh. Patty, snarling as she snapped her teeth and reached for me with black fingers.