by Kate L. Mary
We didn’t stop until we were in front of a sealed door, and just like all the other important rooms in this building, there was a keypad next to it. Helen had it open in seconds though, and then she was rushing inside. There was no reason for all of us to go in, not when all we needed was a syringe, so we stayed where we were, standing in anxious silence. I pulled the vials out of my pocket and found the right one, and then gingerly slipped the bacteria back into its hiding place.
At my side, Donaghy was leaning against the wall with his eyes squeezed shut.
“We’re almost there,” I told him. “Just hang on.”
He nodded, but didn’t open his eyes.
Helen was back in seconds, holding her hand out to me. I was shaking when I dropped the vial into her palm, and once my hands were empty I felt useless. I clutched Donaghy’s hand and whispered to him that it was all going to be okay. Everything was going to work out now.
He flinched when the needle slid into his vein. Helen pushed the plunger and the green liquid rushed into his body. I could see it under his skin for just a moment, bright green as it moved through his vein before mixing with his blood and disappearing.
“That’s it.” Helen dropped the empty vial and syringe, and they clattered against the floor.
“How long?” I asked her.
We had to wait at least an hour to release the bacteria, that much we knew, but I wasn’t sure how long it would take for the symptoms of the virus to ease. Donaghy looked like he was in so much pain, and I hated seeing him like this. Hated knowing that every movement hurt him.
“A few hours,” Helen said. “It’s different for everyone, but the symptoms should start to ease soon and disappear completely within five hours max.”
“Fuck,” Donaghy muttered under his breath.
“We ready?” Jim called.
I hooked my arm through Donaghy’s and helped him move down the hall to join the others. Jada, Jim, Al, and Angus stood like sentries, keeping watch. Only there was no one around. No one to stop us and no guards charging us. It didn’t feel right. None of this felt right.
“Where is everyone?” I asked when we’d stopped next to the others. “Why haven’t we met more resistance?”
“I don’t know,” Jim breathed out.
“They’re waiting for us somewhere.” Jada shoved a few loose dreads out of her face. “Star won’t let us just walk out of here.”
“Good.” Angus pulled the magazine out of his gun and checked his ammo before slapping it back in. “I wanna see that prick. The son too.”
“I know you probably have a deep, burning desire for revenge,” I said, “but I just want to get the hell out of here in one piece.”
“No time like the present,” Jim muttered.
We continued our trek through the CDC, moving slower this time. None of us said the words out loud, but I knew that like me they were waiting for an ambush. It wouldn’t be long now. I could feel it.
We managed to make it all the way to the lobby before it happened.
“This leads to the exit,” Helen called, rushing past Jim and Jada.
She was just a few steps ahead of us when she shoved the door open. It swung forward and Helen stepped out, freedom suddenly in her sights. Before I’d even had the chance to get a glimpse of the lobby a gunshot thundered through the air and Helen went down.
Twenty
Donaghy
It seemed to happen in slow motion, but I wasn’t sure if it was the virus moving through my veins that made it seem that way or if time had actually slowed. A crack echoed through the building and Helen’s head jerked back. I caught a glimpse of a hole no bigger than the tip of my thumb in the center of her forehead and a trickle of blood. Then she dropped.
The thud of her body hitting the floor made my whole body jerk, and I tried to pull Meg back, to turn and go the other way, but guards came out of nowhere. They were behind us, waving guns and forcing us to move forward. We were pushed out into the lobby, stumbling over Helen’s now lifeless body, where more guards stood waiting. It took a matter of seconds for them to disarm us, and then we were all shoved to our knees. The yelling was so loud that it seemed to echo in my ears, making my already pounding head hurt even more.
I found it difficult to think. Difficult to focus on what was going on around me, but not on what was happening inside me. My stomach growled with a hunger I’d never felt before. It was overwhelming, threatening to consume me.
When had I eaten last? I couldn’t remember, I just knew that I needed to eat now. My stomach rumbled nonstop, drowning out the words the guards screamed at us. The pang in my gut was so intense it almost made me double over, but it was different than the usual hunger pains. The need wasn’t just concentrated in my stomach; it was also deep in my bones.
I blinked and tried to bring the world into focus, but it was difficult. Between the pain and the hunger and the yelling, I couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t think. I looked around, barely recognizing my surroundings, but when my gaze landed on the woman at my side, things began to clear. I stared at her, focusing, trying to ground myself. Meg. This was Meg. She was why I was here; she was what I was fighting for.
The realization helped, but the hunger didn’t ease. It gnawed at my insides. Begged for relief. But I kept my gaze on Meg, knowing that she was the only thing that would bring me out of this.
Twenty-One
Meg
The guards were still screaming even though we’d followed their orders and were all on the ground, our hands behind our heads. I flinched every time one came near me even though I knew they’d been ordered to keep us alive. I wasn’t dumb. I knew Jackson wouldn’t allow us an easy death.
To my left Angus swore, but to my right Donaghy was silent. He looked around like he wasn’t sure what was happening, but when his eyes landed on me they seemed to focus a little more. The color was still muted, but just like I’d thought, looking at me seemed to ground him in reality.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered out of the corner of my mouth. “Just focus on me.”
As if trying to defy my words, the guards parted and Jackson appeared in front of us.
“Meg.” His sick smile seemed to stretch across the entire room, going from wall to wall and threatening to swallow us all. “So glad you made it.”
I wanted to cover the vial in my pocket with my hand, but I resisted the urge. We had no clue if Jackson or his father were even aware of our real reasons for coming here. As far as anyone knew, Star was oblivious to the relationship Angus and Jane had shared, so from his point of view, there was no way we knew about the failsafe he’d created. Still, I wasn’t willing to put anything past him or his son.
Jackson’s gaze moved past us, back to Helen’s now lifeless body. His smile faltered just a little when he shook his head. “Helen. I knew that piece of trash was in on this. Dad always did have a soft side.”
He shrugged and turned his gaze back to us. I could tell when he recognized Angus, because his body jerked, but he recovered quickly and once again pasted a smile on his face.
“So glad you could rejoin us.” He stepped closer to us, and at my side Angus flinched. “Did you miss your old room? Wanted to do the full twenty?”
“Fuck you,” my uncle growled.
Jackson rolled his eyes. “I knew not to expect an intelligent conversation from a pin cushion, but I thought you could do better than that.”
Angus stiffened.
Jackson let out a chuckle and waved his hand at the guards. “Kill the man with one arm and the zombie slayer—” Jackson’s gaze slid from Jim to Jada, and he paused. “Save the blonde. I can use someone who obviously enjoys pain as much as she does.”
Jim growled and started to get to his feet, but was knocked down when the butt of a rifle slammed into his head.
“No,” Jada gasped and reached for him only to be knocked aside by another guard.
Jackson ignored them both and looked the rest of us over, his gaze stopping
on Donaghy. “The virus hasn’t turned you yet. I’m surprised.” He pressed his lips together for a second before saying, “Put the convict back in his cell. I can use a strong zombie like him.” Then his gaze moved to me and I shivered. “The test subject goes back where he came from, but Meg is mine. I’ll take care of her right now.”
He moved without warning, pushing through the people kneeling around me and grabbing my arm. His grip was so strong when he jerked me to my feet that it felt like my arm was being ripped from its socket. I cried out, and even though I wanted to fight I knew it was useless. I had no choice but to move.
“I was hoping your parents would be here to see this,” Jackson said when we had taken the spot he’d just vacated. “But this is better than nothing.”
He grabbed my shirt and pulled, ripping it down the front. My hand went to the pocket where the vial was tucked away, trying to get it free before anything else happened. There was no way I could stop this thing he had planned for me from happening, but there had to be a way to save the vial, to make sure the bacteria was still released.
He mistook the gesture for modesty and laughed. “Go ahead and fight. I actually like that.”
A shiver ran through me that only got worse when he managed to yank my shirt off completely. He tossed it aside and I dropped to the ground, scrambling for it. My heart was pounding and my head was screaming for me to fight him off, only I knew I couldn’t focus on my own safety, not when I needed to protect the vial.
My fingers had just gripped my shirt when Jackson was on me. His hands were on my hips, already pulling at my pants, and I let out an involuntary scream. I kicked back, fighting on instinct even though I knew I had to focus on the vial.
His fingers curled around the waistband of my pants as he leaned forward, pressing his lips against my ear and hissing, “I’ve been fantasizing about your screams for years.”
I squeezed my eyes shut when his warm breath brushed against my face, and it was at that exact moment that the world exploded.
A blast rocked the room and the windowed wall that looked out onto the courtyard shattered in a burst that sent shards of glass raining down on the lobby. All around me cries and yells and gunshots broke out, barely audible over the ringing in my ears. I couldn’t figure out what was happening, and Jackson still had a grip on me, still had me pressed against the floor with his full weight. But he was distracted too, doing his best to call out orders to his guards as chaos filled the lobby.
I took the opportunity to pull my shirt closer, my hand digging in the fabric until I was able to locate the vial. It was cold against my skin when I closed my fingers around it, and I pulled it close to my body, doing my best to keep it out of sight. I had to get out. I had to break the vial in the streets where the horde of zombies we’d drawn into the city were no doubt still wreaking havoc on the citizens.
“Get them!” Jackson yelled.
His hold temporarily loosened on me and I took the opportunity to try and crawl away. He let out a growl of frustration and grabbed my hips, his fingers digging into my skin. I screamed and kicked and clawed at the floor, trying to pull myself free, but I was on my stomach and he had the advantage both in size and position.
Donaghy came out of nowhere, pouncing like a wild animal and knocking Jackson off me. They rolled across the floor in a tangle of limbs, and when I flipped onto my back the vial was still clutched against my chest. Donaghy had Jackson on the ground. The asshole was still struggling, but he was at a huge disadvantage with the bigger man on top of him. Then, out of nowhere, Donaghy let out a snarl that didn’t sound the least bit human, and I watched in frozen horror as he bared his teeth only seconds before sinking them into Jackson’s neck.
The scream that broke out of my former friend was nothing compared to the blood that sprayed from the wound. It splashed across Donaghy’s face and neck and chest, and saturated Jackson’s shirt in seconds before spreading out beneath them, creating a pool under their still tangled bodies. At first I couldn’t move, too transfixed by what was happening to remember that I had a job to do. Donaghy hadn’t turned, not completely, but he was like a man possessed as he tore a chunk out of Jackson’s throat. Or like a zombie.
“Megan!”
I ripped my gaze from the sight in front of me to find my Uncle Al struggling with a guard, his eyes on me. All around me there was fighting, and dozens of people had flooded the building. They fought with guards as the group I’d come here with did the same, but at first I had no clue where they’d all come from. Then I caught sight of the High Priestess by the door and it dawned on me what had happened. Her followers weren’t wearing their usual red robes, but she’d still brought The Church to our rescue.
“Go!” someone shouted, and then Jada was next to me, pulling me to my feet. She paused just long enough to pull off her leather jacket and fling it at me. “Get outside, release the bacteria!”
My heart was pounding as I pulled the jacket on, covering myself before scrambling toward the door with Jada at my side. Once or twice a guard lunged for me, but she took them out every time, her swift movements and exact aim seeming unreal even in the middle of everything else that was happening. The atmosphere surrounding us was loud and out of control, but I focused on the front door as I ran, putting every ounce of energy into it.
Things didn’t get any better when I burst out into the dark night. The world was full of moans and growls and screams and cries for help. The music from the festival hadn’t faded, and in the distance the sound of chanting had risen up above every other noise, filling the night sky with the same lines that had given me the creeps only two days ago.
“…you have visited them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them…”
I ran as fast as I could, barely noticing if Jada kept up but knowing that I was running straight toward the zombies we’d released on the city. My legs ached and my lungs threatened to burst, but I kept my eyes on the prize and pumped my legs faster and faster, leaving the CDC behind and charging into the streets, heading toward the chanting.
I didn’t slow until I’d made it down the street and turned the corner. The town square came into view, and I was able to see the full measure of what we had done. It was the middle of the night by this point, but the streets were brightly lit thanks to the festival. Lights shone down on the bloody bodies that littered the street, on the zombies feasting on human flesh, on the people still fighting the dead or trapped in precarious positions that would only buy them time, not save them from doom.
I skittered to a halt and gasped for air, knowing that I had reached the right spot. It took a lot of effort to pry my fingers open, but when I did I found the vial resting in my palm. More than ever it looked tiny. Insignificant. Magical.
“Break it!” Jada called out from behind me.
A gunshot cut through the air and I turned to find her firing at a handful of approaching zombies. I lifted the vial above my head, preparing to smash it into the ground. This was for my family, for everything they’d lost, for my uncle who’d spent the last twenty years in a cell, for my sister who’d only been a child when they’d ripped her away from her family, for Parv and Joshua who had lost everything, for Donaghy who—
I lowered my arm, realization slamming into me.
Donaghy.
Not enough time had passed since he’d received the vaccine. The virus was still raging through his body. I knew because I’d watched him rip into Jackson only moments before. If I did this, if I broke this vial now, I would lose him. He would get taken out just like the rest of the zombies.
“What are you doing?” Jada called. “Do it!”
“Donaghy.” I spun to face her, my gaze holding hers.
For a moment she looked incredulous, ready to punch me and do it herself, but then something flickered in her eyes and I knew who she was thinking about. Jim. If he were the one infected, if he was the one who would die by breaking this vial, she would hesitate too.
“You have
to,” she said, but even I could tell it took a great amount of effort for her to get the words out. “You know it.”
I did. I knew that even if it took Donaghy out, I had to do this. All around me the world was going insane. Donaghy had taken Jackson down, but Star was still alive somewhere in this city. The Church had managed to subdue the guards in the CDC, but I wasn’t foolish enough to think that it would last long. If I didn’t take care of this now, we might lose our chance. There were no guarantees that we’d leave these walls alive, and if they caught us, they would destroy the failsafe once and for all.
Jada gave me time to think it through while she continued to take out the dead. Only a few seconds passed, but it felt like years, and when I finally nodded, she exhaled.
I lifted my arm again, holding it over my head dramatically as I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Donaghy.”
A burst of pain cut through my calf and I cried out as I fell, throwing my hands out in front of me on instinct. My palms slammed into the ground and the vial got smashed between the cement sidewalk and my hand, shattering and sending shards of glass deep into my skin.
I rolled over, struggling to make sense of what had happened while my leg and hand throbbed. Jada was crouched above me, her lips moving as she fired, but no words reached me over the roar of blood and pain pounding in my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath, trying to hang on, but darkness was closing in and I knew it was no use.
Twenty-Two
Donaghy
Slowly, like I was crawling out of a deep abyss, I started to register where I was. My body throbbed, my muscles and joints screaming with each move. But I felt better too. I could feel myself coming back from the brink of death. Could feel the vaccine winning out over the virus that had nearly killed me.