The Becoming: Ground Zero

by Jessica Meigs

  “Cade!” a desperate shout rang out from Ethan’s left. He turned to see Brandt sliding across the hoods of cars and climbing over vehicles and other debris, moving quickly in Cade’s direction. The man raised his rifle and tried to aim, even as he moved.

  Ethan knew Brandt wouldn’t be able to get a clear shot from that range, not without hitting Cade too. It was too dangerous, and Cade and the infected woman were moving too much in their desperate struggle.

  Theo was closest to Cade, and he reached her first. He grabbed Cade around the waist and attempted to pull her back from the infected woman that had her fingers wrapped around Cade’s arm in a bruising grip. Theo ripped the knife from the sheath on Cade’s belt and plunged it into the infected woman’s chest.

  The impact of the blade was enough to jar loose the infected woman’s grip on Cade’s arm. Cade stumbled back a few steps at the sudden absence of resistance and fell to her knees in the gravel beside the car. She scrambled to grab her rifle from the ground where she’d dropped it, then brought it up and aimed, trying to get a clear shot at the woman. But the infected woman now grappled with Theo, and Cade let out a cry of frustration. “I can’t get a shot!” she yelled in a panic. “I can’t get a fucking shot!”

  Before anyone else could reach Theo and Cade to assist them, the infected woman hauled Theo closer with a mighty pull of her arm and, in the blink of an eye, sank her teeth into Theo’s exposed forearm.

  Theo let out an agonized scream and thrashed away from the woman, kicking wildly at her. He braced his foot against her stomach and shoved her away from him, tearing his arm from her teeth. He scrambled backwards as quickly as he could, taking shelter between two cars and cradling his arm to his chest.

  Cade and Brandt lifted their rifles at the same time. Two shots echoed against the trees. The infected woman collapsed into the grass beside the road.

  Ethan reached Theo as the body fell. Rapid footsteps behind him announced the arrival of the others. Gray shoved Ethan harshly out of the way, and Ethan fell against the car as Gray slid to the ground beside Theo.

  “Oh God, fuck, Theo,” Gray gasped out. He threw his arms around his older brother’s shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  “Get back, Gray,” Theo ordered hoarsely. He shoved Gray hard away from him. “Get back.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?” Gray asked urgently.

  A sinking feeling settled into Ethan’s stomach. Gray didn’t know. Gray hadn’t seen what had happened.

  “Get back!” Theo yelled again, more desperately than before. “Get the fuck back! All of you!”

  Ethan took Gray by the elbow, tugging gently to pull the younger man away from Theo, even as Gray’s eyes finally took in the sight of the wound on Theo’s forearm. “Oh Jesus,” Gray whispered softly. “Oh Jesus, no.” His eyes were wide at the sight of the blood that ran down Theo’s arm.

  Theo pulled his arm tighter against his chest. His hand pressed hard against the wound as he tried to staunch the bleeding. “I need my pack,” Theo said, his voice trembling. “I dropped it when I started to run.”

  “Here,” Remy said breathlessly as she jogged up. Avi was just behind her, and she fell to her knees beside Theo. Remy set the bag on the ground beside the paramedic and added, “I found it back there when I almost tripped over it.”

  “Is there anything we can do?” Gray asked Ethan frantically, looking up to the older man. Ethan could see the fear in Gray’s eyes, and he knew the man had to be very afraid if he looked to Ethan for guidance. Ethan looked at Theo and watched for a moment as Theo held his arm tightly and directed Avi on what to look for in the bag. Then he shifted his eyes back to Gray once more.

  “I don’t know, Gray,” Ethan admitted, a slight tremor in his own voice. “I don’t think so.”

  Gray let out a pained, choked sound and turned away. He put his back to Ethan and Theo and covered his mouth. Remy moved forward in two strides and wrapped her arms around Gray tightly, attempting to soothe him. For once, Ethan wasn’t the slightest bit jealous of the affection she showed Gray. If anything, Gray desperately needed someone at that moment, because he faced what all of them at some point had faced before: the impending death of a family member.

  None of them had had to watch it happen quite like this before, though.

  “I can’t go with you,” Theo said. Ethan looked at Theo again and saw that he was holding his wounded arm out to Avi. She’d donned a pair of latex gloves and was carefully wrapping Theo’s arm in gauze and bandages to help stop the bleeding.

  “What? Why not?” Gray demanded. He pulled himself free from Remy and looked at Theo with wide eyes. “Why not? You have to come! We can’t just leave you here!”

  “You have to, Gray! I can’t go with you!” Theo insisted, raising his voice. “I’m fucking infected! If I go, I’ll put all of you in danger, and I will not do that.”

  “There’s got to be something we can do, Theo!” Gray protested.

  “Yeah, you can give me a gun and a bullet and get the fuck out of here,” Theo said, his voice heavy with so much bitterness that Ethan nearly took a step back. “I’m not going to live like one of those things, not knowing who the fuck I am anymore and trying to kill anything that moves.”

  Remy slid past Gray, kneeling beside Theo and reaching over to stop Avi’s hands as the blond woman tried to wrap Theo’s arm. Remy took a handgun out of her bag and ejected the bullets from the magazine, starting to unload them into her hand.

  “What are you doing?” Gray demanded, turning on Remy and grabbing her hands to stop her.

  “Gray, stop,” Remy said in a soft, steady voice. She didn’t look at Gray as she dropped the handful of bullets into her bag and put a single bullet back into the magazine. Once she’d returned the magazine to the gun, she chambered the round and set the gun carefully onto the ground beside Theo’s knee. “For when you’re ready,” Remy said, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to the older man’s forehead.

  Ethan choked up at Remy’s words. It was when she did things like this—helping others out in her own ways, caring and showing love for her friends—that Ethan realized just how much they’d all been hurt and changed by the Michaluk Virus, physically and psychologically. He closed his eyes and took in several deep breaths to calm himself before he lost it. The last thing he needed was to break down in front of the others when they needed him to take charge and keep them together.

  Disregarding any animosity that might have existed between them, Ethan put his arm around Gray’s shoulders and pulled him gently away. “Come on, Gray. You don’t need to be here for this,” he said.

  Gray pulled free again and went to Theo. He wrapped his arms around his brother in a tight hug and mumbled something none of them could hear.

  “I know,” Theo said simply as he gave Gray a long one-armed hug in return. “Now go. Please.”

  Gray gave Theo a short nod and straightened, and then he started to walk, back straight, down the highway once more. His blue eyes shone with tears as he passed Ethan on his stoic journey.

  Ethan hesitated, debating whether or not he should go after Gray. Instead, he took a moment to look down at Theo. He asked the other man, softly, “You’re going to be okay. Right?”

  Theo looked up at Ethan unblinkingly and asked in return, “Are you?”

  Chapter 40

  Theo waited until Gray had walked away before he rested his head back against the car behind him. Remy, Cade, and Avi all still hovered by him, and Brandt stood guard nearby, his rifle up as he watched the tree line attentively. Theo loosely rested his hand on top of the gun Remy had given him, and he closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. “I’m so sorry, guys,” he murmured softly.

  “Don’t be,” Cade’s voice said from somewhere to his right. “You saved me, Theo.” Her knuckles brushed down his cheek, and he couldn’t help but lean into the touch.

  Theo let a small smile grace his lips, and he nodded. “Yeah, I did. Shit was worth it, then.” He swallowed hard an
d fought back a wave of emotion that threatened to overcome him. “Just … do me a favor, all of you?” he requested.

  “Anything, Theo,” Remy said, her own voice cracking.

  “Take care of Gray for me,” Theo requested. “He’s not as strong as he likes to pretend he is. I’m all he had left. I don’t think he’ll handle this very well.” Theo opened his eyes and looked at Remy as she squeezed his hand. “Especially you, Remy. You know what it’s like for your whole family to leave you. He’ll need you to help him through this.”

  Remy nodded understandingly, and Theo looked to Avi. The blond woman wept openly. “Theo, there has to be something we can do,” she said shakily.

  “Yeah, you can do as I’ve asked,” Theo replied. “That’s all you need to do. You know how this shit goes. I’m not the first person to get the Michaluk Virus, and I won’t be the last either.” Theo breathed in deeply and closed his eyes once more, dropping his head back to the car again. “Now get the fuck moving. I don’t want any of you caught out here near me when the gun goes off. You know what the sound does to draw the infected out.” Theo lifted his head to look at the four of them again. They were reluctant to leave him; he could see it in their eyes. But he couldn’t do what he needed to do with them around. He wiped his bloodied hand off on his pants and gave Remy’s hand another squeeze. “Remy, get them out of here,” he begged softly.

  Remy stared at Theo for a moment, searching his face, and then she nodded. She stood and pulled her hand free from Theo’s after one last squeeze. “Come on, Cade, Avi,” she said. She tugged at their shoulders to get them to move. Avi seemed to resist, but Brandt came over to give Remy a hand, forcing the blond woman to her feet.

  “You’ll be okay, Theo,” Brandt said confidently, pulling Cade to her feet. “Take care of Nikola for us, would you?”

  Theo smiled slightly. He liked how Brandt thought of his impending death. It was comforting somehow, and his breath caught in his throat. “Of course,” he finally agreed, his voice hushed.

  And then they walked away, and Theo was left alone on a cluttered highway somewhere in Georgia.

  Theo blew out a breath and closed his eyes. His head and his arm both throbbed. A thin trail of blood oozed from the wound, trickling from beneath the admittedly sloppy bandage Avi had applied to it. His hands shook as he struggled to relax.

  Theo had options. He knew he did. He could avoid the idea of suicide and let himself become like those things that now wandered the earth, like the thing that infected him. He could become one of those that waged war against the remnants of humanity. But Theo didn’t want to live like that. That wasn’t living, not knowing who he was anymore and putting the people he loved in danger. He refused to let himself become an animal.

  Theo weighed his choices. He wanted to see a sunset again, but as he looked at his watch, he realized that sunset was simply too far away. He’d be far into the throes of the virus if he waited that long. Theo imagined he could feel it already as it pumped through his veins, slogged thickly through the blood in his body. The thought was almost enough to make him gag.

  Theo looked in the direction the others had gone, and he couldn’t see them anymore. They still weren’t far enough away for his comfort, though; he didn’t want any of them to hear this. He dragged himself to his feet and started to slowly walk in the opposite direction, back the way they’d come, trying to put more distance between himself and them.

  This wasn’t how Theo thought his life would end. Growing up, he’d naïvely believed he’d be old when he died, that it was impossible for someone as young as he to perish. It was the typical invincibility of youth, and though he was older now and knew better, Theo still thought that twenty-five was too young to die. He hadn’t experienced all the things he wanted to do. He never got to marry, never got to have children, never got to start a life. Nothing normal ever happened to anyone since the Michaluk Virus had hit the scene. It’d robbed him of everything else, and now it was taking his life too.

  Theo hoped like hell that the others managed to find out how all this happened before they got to Luckie Street. Because when whoever had caused the massive viral spread was revealed, Theo had every intention of haunting the hell out of them.

  Theo found a shady spot on the side of the road and sank to his knees. He looked in the direction he’d come as he slid back to sit against the tree he was under. He couldn’t see his friends now. He couldn’t even see the car he’d walked away from.

  Theo was afraid of death, but he was more afraid of living as a victim of the Michaluk Virus. Ultimately, Theo’s death rested in his hands. And he wanted it on his own terms.

  Theo nodded slightly as he determined his own path, and he closed his eyes. He took several slow, deep breaths as he tried to relax himself further, tried to keep calm. This was what he had to do, he reminded himself. This was what he had to do to save his brother, to eliminate the risk he posed to those still living.

  Theo lifted the gun and pulled the trigger.

  Chapter 41

  The gunshot echoed through the trees, and Gray flinched against Remy as it met their ears. He stopped walking and covered his eyes with his hand, bowing his head and taking several deep, shaky breaths. Remy could tell he was struggling to keep control of himself. She hugged Gray again, not sure exactly what to do. Despite Theo’s words, she’d never been through anything quite like this. When her family died, it had been brutal and messy, but with the exception of her mother’s death, she hadn’t been there for any of it.

  That was a lot different from hearing a gunshot and knowing that your last remaining family member had just died.

  To Remy’s surprise, Gray jerked away from her as she tried to hug him. He gave her a cold, hard look and sped up his walk. “Don’t fucking touch me,” he hissed.

  “Okay, okay.” She shook her head and dropped back to walk with Cade instead.

  “Hey,” Cade said as the younger woman let her catch up. Cade had her rifle in her hands again, and she watched the area around them more attentively than ever before.

  “You okay?” Remy asked, pulling her bolo knife out. Just in case. It never hurt to have some semblance of preparedness.

  “I think I’m just shaken up,” Cade admitted. “It’s not every day I get grabbed by one of the infected, and it’s happened twice in the past week alone. Definitely not my best week.”

  “It’s not a very good week for any of us,” Remy agreed. She twirled her knife idly and sighed. “We’ve lost two people in a matter of days. That’s something I never thought I’d see happen.”

  “Before we left Maplesville, Brandt told me he thought we’d all be dead before we got out of Atlanta,” Cade said, frowning. “He thought there wasn’t much hope of us getting out of there. He said the same thing back at the hotel the other day.”

  Remy hesitated and said, “I’m thinking the same thing. Well, I thought it, anyway.”

  Cade raised an eyebrow and glanced at Remy before returning her gaze to the trees. “Really?”

  “Yeah. This shit stresses me out, makes me do shit I normally wouldn’t do,” Remy admitted, twirling her knife again.

  Cade didn’t look at her. “Like sleep with Ethan?”

  Remy gaped at her. Cade knew about that? How in the world …? “How the hell did you find out about that?” she demanded.

  Cade shook her head, smiling. “I know all, Remy. You can’t hide anything from me.” Remy’s eyes widened, and Cade’s smile turned into a smirk. “I’m kidding, Remy. Ethan told me about it earlier. And I would’ve figured it out with the way he looked at you around lunchtime anyway.” She paused before adding, “And he told me how long it’s been going on too.”

  “Oh God,” Remy groaned, feeling her cheeks heat up at Cade’s scrutiny. “I wouldn’t normally … I mean, I didn’t really mean to—”

  Cade turned on Remy. The look in her ice-blue eyes stopped Remy in mid-step. “If you ever think about hurting him, you’ll have to answer to me. And you
know I won’t hesitate to kick your ass,” she threatened. “If you regret what you did, you better pretend you don’t. The last thing Ethan needs is to get his heart broken on top of his grief over Nikola and Theo.”

  Cade’s mention of Theo was enough to sober Remy, and she looked away. She surprised even herself as her eyes filled with tears. “Jesus, Cade, what kind of person do you think I am?” she asked shakily, keeping her eyes on their surroundings, refusing to look at the older woman beside her. “I’m not a cold-hearted bitch. Just because I want to kill all of the fucking infected in this world doesn’t mean I don’t have a heart. I care for him. You have no fucking idea how much. I just don’t see the point in beginning a relationship, considering the world we live in.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can’t still love someone, even if you’re not planning on having an actual relationship with them,” Cade pointed out. Remy sensed that Cade was no longer talking about her and Ethan. She followed Cade’s eyes and saw that they were locked onto Brandt’s muscular back. He led the group down the highway, keeping their pace brisk, his shoulders straight and tense.

  “So … you and Brandt?” Remy couldn’t help but ask. The temptation to fall back on her old teasing was too great to pass up. Cade gave Remy a sharp look and punched her bicep. Remy bit back a yelp and rubbed her arm. “What was that for?”

  “Oh, you know what it was for,” Cade said darkly. She took Remy by the shoulder and gently shoved her ahead. “Get back where you’re supposed to be. We should be in Douglasville soon, and we need to be on alert.”

  “We need to find shelter for the night,” Ethan said, dropping back to talk with Cade and Remy. Remy gave Ethan a small smile, and he returned it. His green eyes were bloodshot, and Remy realized that he’d been crying. The thought was nearly enough to choke her up. “We can’t travel after sunset, and we need time to track someplace down.”