“Dismissed.” Once the Captain uttered that word, the room was filled with urgent conversation and a nervous energy hovered above the soldiers like fog after it rains. Each one of them had a job to do, a task to complete before they headed out into the town of Dubuque.
They had only been assembled less than an hour ago. News of the incident spread through the city like wildfire ripping through the California hills. A quiet night in the bunks was interrupted when news of an infection turning average college kids into flesh hungry beasts. The city was declared in a state of emergency. Orders came down to quarantine the entire city and barriers were put up at its borders. Police officers and first responders started routing people back to their homes. Emergency shelters were set up at the schools for people who didn’t live in the city and couldn’t leave to go to their homes.
East High School was where Palen and the rest of his unit were headed. They weren’t meant to be fighting people, but were being sent to help protect those who couldn’t protect themselves and had no where to go. They were packed in the back of a truck like sardines, to close for much comfort. With each bump, Palen’s knees would knock into the guy next to him. Nervousness crept into the pit of his stomach as the noises from the street filtered in. Screams and yells, sirens and growls sounded around him. His eyes traced the floor, focusing on a rock that moved along the floor. It was thrown forward and then rolled back, mimicking the motion the truck made as it headed towards the high school. The way it moved, freely and yet at the mercy of the truck’s movements made Palen feel like it was just like him, at the mercy of someone else. He was lost watching its movements.
Forcefully the truck stopped, causing Palen to lean his shoulder into the guy next to him. Valenzuela didn’t mind, pushing him back up, a vivid white smile flashing at him. They were both nineteen and had been together since basic, the army placing the two of them in the same unit. In a way it had been a blessing for Palen, who had had a rougher time adjusting to life in the military than he thought he would. Changing from a life of absolute freedom to one with strict rules and structure had been harder than he would have expected. Valenzuela, who’s first name was Francisco but went by Frankie, had always been a sounding board for Palen. Frankie had no problem with army life. He focused on his reason for being there and never lost sight of that, even when things got really tough. Frankie wanted to be the first person in his family to go to college and he wanted to use his degree to better life for his family. They had immigrated to the United States before Frankie was born, but since they were illegal they were forced to go back to Mexico. He was left behind, in the foster care system, a U.S. Citizen by birthright. His mother made the very difficult choice to leave him behind. She was certain he would have a better life in American even as a foster kid than he would back in Mexico. The sacrifice his family made was never lost to him. Some kids could have gotten bitter, been pissed off that their family left them alone, but not him. Frankie’s strength always impressed Palen and it made his own problems seem so small in comparison.
“You gonna be okay, white boy?”
Palen shoved him back and cracked a smile.
“Yeah man, let’s do this!” He forced some excitement into his voice, though now that he was about to face what the Captain had called the enemy, fear was slowly rising up inside him. The fluttering feeling of anticipation that had filled his stomach before they left base was now gone, leaving a sense of dread in its wake.
Palen’s eyes met Frankie’s, the reflection of his own fear starring back at him. This was the first time they were handed a weapon outside of training and told to do their jobs. This was what they signed up for, but neither felt ready. They were both just kids, most of the guys their age were playing video games, not shooting up infected civilians.
The cafeteria of the school was already half full with people. Each whispering to the others with them, speculating what was happening outside the school or perhaps, what would happen inside them. A faint buzz lifted above the crowd, all the whispers jumbled together in a hum.
Palen turned back to the rest of his unit was, listening as orders were handed out. Each solider was to take a group of eight to ten people to a classroom. As more people showed up to the school, they would be sent to different classrooms. Medical staff would be around soon to examine those waiting in each room. Once they were cleared, it was nothing but a waiting game until a plan was in place to get these people back to their homes.
“What if they are not medically cleared?” A solider asked.
“Then they will be moved to a different area with others who are infected.” The officer’s voice was commanding, just like the Captain’s voice. Palen wondered if that was a prerequisite for the job. “If someone in your charge turns before they receive medical attention,” the officer continued, “It will be your job to take them down before they can infect anyone else. We do not believe they can be fully immobilized.”
“So what do we do?” Palen asked, confused. If the infected couldn’t be immobilized, then shooting them in the extremities wouldn’t do anything. If they were to be shot they would have to…
“Shoot to kill, solider.”
Palen’s heart began to beat hard against his chest. It felt like it was going to break through his ribs. Each beat felt like it was cracking his sternum. Palen stumbled away from the group as they began to disperse to the classroom they were in charge of protecting.
“Hey, man, you okay?” Frankie put a firm hand on Palen’s shoulder. “You don’t look so good…”
Sweat beaded at the top of his forehead, threatening to cascade downward. His skin felt clammy and he was sure that his already pale skin was ghostly white. If what was happening to these people was truly an infection, they could be cured at some point. Now his commanding officer was asking him to shot people who were just sick and maybe had a chance of getting better one day. The entire idea seemed like madness and the idea overloaded his senses causing him to stress out.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He didn’t want to say much more. Not being able to perform your duties wasn’t acceptable, no matter what the reason. Once the Army gave you a job, and you completed it or you died trying. If he didn’t do his job, innocent people could die. The huddled masses cowering together in the cafeteria needed him. But what about the other ones? The infected? Weren’t they innocent to? It wasn’t their fault they had caught an infection. The whole idea began to warp Palen’s ideas of the situation.
“You sure brother?”
“Of course.” Palen looked his friend in the eye, wondering if he would agree with his hesitation or if he would just pull the trigger. Knowing Frankie, he would do what the Army told him to, and that made Palen feel a sense of sadness. There was this feeling of dread inside him and it made him feel like this would be the last time he saw his friend. Palen shook the feeling and headed off to the classroom he was assigned to, knowing people would be sent there soon. People whose lives were in his hands.
CHAPTER THREE
Sada woke up to her body shaking. Not because she was cold or afraid, but because hands were grasping her shoulders and forcefully trying to wake her. Her eyes snapped open, terror ripping through her until she realized she knew the person who was trying to wake her.
“Sada, get up, we have to go.” Groggily, Sada did as she was told, sitting up in her bed and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Instinctively her hand reached to her phone, pressing the home button to bring it to live. 2:17 shown across the screen, causing a groan to escape her lips.
“Dad, what is going on? Why do-“ Her father grabbed her school bag and dumped it upside down. Papers, notebooks, books, and stray pencils fell to the floor. Sada’s eyes widened in shock as her normally orderly father created chaos of her things without a second thought.
“Dad! What are you doing?”
“Pack your things, not all of them, just what you would need for a few days. We have to leave.”
Swiftly he left her room, without any expl
anation. Sada got up and quickly got dressed, pulling on the same distressed jeans she had worn earlier that day. Her long brown locks pushed through an oversized maroon sweater, covering up the ‘Messy Hair, Don’t Care’ t-shirt she had worn to bed. Her fingers made quick work of the laces on her boots, then pulled her socks up above the boots.
The simple black bag her dad emptied was left at the foot of her bed. Quickly she gathered up a couple pairs of jeans, two t-shirts, and a few other things. Without thinking she packed her iPad, phone charger, a book, and her journal. Carrying the backpack in front of her, Sada made her way into the bathroom in the hallway. She took her toothbrush from the counter, toothpaste, and her small bag of makeup. The items she packed were what she would pack if she were staying over with a friend, and she didn’t know if she should be taking anything different because her dad never explained to her what was going on. Something in the tone of his voice made her think they were in danger, but he hadn’t told her to pack a weapon. Without much thought, Sada went back to her room and opened her bedside table drawer. Inside next to some hair bands and odds and ends, was the pocket knife her brother had given her. It had laid in that drawer since the day he gave it to her, but suddenly she felt the need to bring it with her, just in case.
Sada felt unprepared, even with the knife, as she made her way down the stairs to where her parents were. Her dad was pacing around, gathering things and taking them out to the car. Cans of food, bottled water, pillows and blankets were lined up on the kitchen counter. Like a solider he kept going back and forth from the garage to the kitchen, each time taking things with him. Her mother was sitting at the table, a blank stare on her face as she held the home phone in her hand. Normally her mother would be right with her dad, following his every lead, but instead she was silent and didn’t move.
“Mom?” Sada leaned up agains the wall, watching her mother with hawk-like eyes. Her mother looked numb, not speaking and starring forward as if she was looking through her daughter to whatever was behind her. It was as if her mother was sad, but she wasn’t crying. Sada’s voice didn’t seem to reach through her.
“Mom.” Sada said, this time with more urgency. She watched as her mother’s eyes found her. It was as if she had been asleep sitting up and was now finally awake.
“We have to go, Sada.”
“Why?”
“Ask your father.” Sada watched as her mother’s hand swept her hair away from her eyes. Then she rubbed the space between her eyebrows with her index finger. She always did when she was stressed out. It was something Sada had seen her do many times before, mostly after she missed curfew or got in trouble at school. It was the look her mother gave with it, that disappointed look mothers give so well, that always made Sada rack herself with guilt afterward the lecture that came with it. This time, as she watched her mother do the same motion but without the look of disappointment, Sada didn’t feel the guilt, only confusion. She couldn’t figure out what was going on. The only thing she could think of was that maybe something had happened to Jared.
Sada made her way past the kitchen table to the garage, following the sounds of her father loading things into the back of his truck. There didn’t seem to be a method to his madness, as he shoved things under the cover in the bed of his Chevrolet, but Sada new better. Her father was a methodical man. A creature of habit, who’s every action was thought out. Survival gear was tucked away neatly between a tent and rolled up sleeping bags. There were four sleeping bags, red, blue, green, and black.
“You probably don’t need to pack Jared’s sleeping bag, Dad.” Her eyes fell to the floor, “Unless this has something to do with him.”
“Oh, no.” he said, Sada’s words bringing him out of some sort of trance. His fingers reached out for Jared’s green sleeping bag, touching the slick fabric like it was going to bring him back. Sada knew it wouldn’t. Nothing had brought her brother back to the house they both grew up in a year.
The argument had woken her up in the middle of the night, not unlike her dad had just done. Jared’s voice carried up the stairs to her, pulling her out of a drunken sleep. His raised voice was loud, but their dad’s was louder, booming above Jared’s puberty stricken vocal chords.
“You bring weed and beer into my house? MY HOUSE! You think you can just do whatever you want here, Jared?”
“It’s not a big deal, for christ’s sake, dad.”
“Not a big deal? Jared, it’s illegal for you to have either one of these.”
Sada sat on the stairs, her hands on the posts beneath the rail, her face watching in between them. Her eyes went wide with shock when she realized what was going on.
Jared was covering for her.
He had always loved her and they had been somewhat close, but Sada always assumed it was because they were stuck with each other. They didn’t have any other siblings and they were three years apart. Jared had always treated her like a kid sister he didn’t want to tag along after him, but there he was, despite making her feel like a nuisance for most of her life, keeping her out of trouble.
“You’re just ungrateful and selfish, that’s what you are, Jared.”
Sada watched as her brother opened his mouth to yell back, but their dad cut him off.
“And you don’t have to live here.”
“No!” Sada had yelled, jumping up from her crouched position on the stairs. It was the first time either of them had noticed she was there.
“Dad, you can’t, it’s not even-“
Jared glared at his sister and she instantly stopped talking.
“Don’t Sada, he’s right, I don’t have to live here.”
Jared had packed some of his things and left that night. Sada cried the entire time he packed his stuff and hours after he left. He left her with a single one armed hug before he walked out the door. No one had heard from him since. Sada had tried to reach out, apologizing, telling him that she would come clean and make things right, but he never texted her back. She’d call and left voicemails, but they were never returned.
“I miss him too, Dad.” She reached an arm around her dad’s hips and hugged him. Guilt racked her insides. She had never told her parents that the beer and weed had been hers. There didn’t seem like much of a point now that Jared wasn’t talking to any of them.
“You got your stuff, Kiddo?” Her dad’s voice was gentle, like always. In fact, Sada had never heard her dad yell like he had on that night ever since.
“Yeah, I do. Dad, what’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you on the way, we have to head out.”
They loaded up in the truck and left their house behind, Sada still confused about what could make them leave in the middle of the night. Her mom was still in some sort of shock, her face blank, her eyes starring off somewhere Sada couldn’t follow to.
With Jared on her mind, Sada pulled out her phone and began typing.
“Mom and Dad are acting crazy, like the world is ending or something…. Wish you were here.”
Her fingers stopped and then started again.
“I miss you.”
Quickly she hit the sent button and then put her phone to sleep. Sada’s thoughts were on her brother and she forgot to ask her dad where they were going and why. Her head nestled against the head rest, because just then sleep seemed like a good idea.
CHAPTER FOUR
“I don’t have an infinite amount of mana to heal you with, Levi.”
Char’s voice sounded slightly shrill coming through the headset Levi wore most of the time when he was at home. The headset was made up of two oversize headphones and a mic that came down beside his mouth. It connected him to his guild, Unwilling Empire, who made up his entire friend group. They were the people he spent his days and nights with, when he wasn’t suppose to be in class and sometimes when he was.
“Drink a portion then, C.” His tone was snarky and confident, two things he would never be if he were standing toe to toe with Char in real life. IRL Levi was closer to a robot than
a charming, witty boy his own age. But when Levi was playing World of Warcraft, he was a level 90 warrior orc, a beast among men, and he felt invincible.
IRL, or in real life, Levi was a guy that was overlooked quite frequently. His mop of curly brown hair was always messy, looking more McDonalds than McDreamy. His sister, Laci, tried to wrangle it one time, using all sorts of gel and mousse, but it just looked greasy and messy. Due to his complete lack of desire to partake in outside activities, Levi had a complexion the same color as a glass of skim milk, white, watery, and barely opaque. The one redeeming physical quality that Levi thought he had were his eyes. They were a vivid green color, like moss growing in the middle of a forrest, but eye color wasn’t enough to make him seem charming to girls. The closest he got to talking up the ladies over a drink was cracking open a soda and chatting up the few girls in his guild.
The ratio of guys to girl was around three to one. It wasn’t that the Unwilling Empire was uninviting to girls, it just played out that way. But the girls they did have in the guild were great players. Grace, Hazel, Nessa, and Mallory raided regularly with the guys and kept up, even talking shit with the best of them. But from the moment Levi had heard Char’s voice fill his headset, he knew he was going to fall for her. They spent their nights running quest lines together until late, talking for hours as they farmed through low level areas. The fact that Levi had a history class each morning at eight never factored into his decision. If Char wanted to stay up all night and play WoW with him, Levi was game.
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