~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The morning of their release from the hospital was gray and wet, a driving rain had been pounding the windows of the hospital since before sunrise. Rose and Jamie had only been told of their impending discharge by Dr Faraday the night before. Hospital staff were satisfied with Jamie’s recovery and there was no sign of lasting physical damage from the infection or injuries. All of the physical tests that Jamie had to undergo came back perfectly normal and other than scaring, the infected attack in Cambridge was just a bad memory, one that Jamie often woke up from in the night in panic and sweats. In addition to the mental scars, Jamie would forever have scars on her thigh and upper left arm. The thigh scar was big, mean and red, but it was just that, a scar on a bare section of skin. The upper-arm scar had been in the midst of a rather intricate floral tattoo of bright red cherry blossoms intertwined with black and grey stylized roses. The doctors, more concerned with closing and healing the wound than preserving the artwork, had distorted the flowers into a jumbled blur of colors and lines. Jamie had talked of finding a competent tattoo artist somewhere, someday that could repair the damage and restore her artwork but neither held out much hope. Rose hoped Jamie remembered the scars as a symbol of their survival, not the attack.
Neither Rose nor Jamie had much in the way of possessions to pack up and after eating a quick breakfast, both had little more than plastic hospital bags with a few items of clothing. Dr Faraday had quietly allowed them to keep the DVD of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, one of the few movies they could watch over and over again and not grow tired of.
After signing off on any lingering paperwork, they were met by a guard at the entrance to their wing. He was more casually dressed than most of the other soldiers, but still clearly military: clean shaven, short hair peppered with grey, a rigid stature and a pistol on his hip. “Hello ladies, I am Lieutenant Greene. I am the liaison between the military and the hospital. Any new members of Boston are processed through my unit, please follow me.”
With a quick smile, he turned and led the way to a nearby stairwell. They were joined by Dr Faraday who walked with them to the first floor’s main lobby.
“This is where I say goodbye to you for now Rose, Jamie,” said Dr Faraday, giving them both hugs. “I’ll look you guys up once you’re settled into you new place. I really enjoyed meeting both of you.” She gave them a wide smile before turning and leaving.
“Alright ma’am,” said Lt Greene motioning to Jamie. “You can head on into this room here if you don’t mind.” It appeared to be an office off of the lobby. The room was labeled “Records” on a plaque next to the door. Lt Greene turned to Rose, “Her interview should only take a little while, if you don’t mind grabbing a seat.”
Rose nodded and selected a chair near the reception desk. Lt Greene and Jamie continued on to the office. “Wish me luck!” called Jamie.
Rose gave her a thumbs up and took a seat. There were no magazines to read nearby so Rose gazed around the lobby looking for one. Not seeing any, Rose took stock of what was around her. There was a female working at the reception desk, her blonde hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head, her military fatigues clean and pressed. She appeared to either be reading or looking down at something at her desk. There were also two men standing outside of the hospital in front of the glass lobby doors; both tall and muscular, rifles slung over their shoulders. While Rose couldn’t hear what they were saying, they were clearly having a conversation with each other, both laughing and motioning with their arms. Both seemed utterly unconcerned with Rose and her presence in the lobby behind them.
That was a good sign. There’d been a nagging feeling in the back of her mind about this whole process. The morbid side of Rose’s brain was expecting a Nazi-style gas chamber that outsiders would be marched into in lieu of being set free, but that would be a little crazy after spending all that time rehabilitating them both. Still, Rose was cautious. She was prepared for anything.
Time, however, seemed to drag and Rose’s boredom eventually won out. So standing, she approached the woman at the reception desk who looked up at her as she approached. Rose had been right, she was reading a book. It appeared to be some sort of textbook, possibly a physics book. The woman raised an eyebrow at Rose, “Yes, can I help you with something?” She sounded slightly annoyed.
“Yeah, I ah, I was curious if you happened to have any type of magazine or something to read. I didn’t see any out by the chairs.”
Sighing, the woman looked down and opened a drawer. Pulling out a couple of magazines, she flopped them down on the counter loudly. “There’s a Marie Claire from 2012 and a Good Housekeeping from 2011. Knock yourself out.” The woman looked back down at her book without another word.
Rose grabbed the Good Housekeeping. “I’ll just take this one,” she said, moving back toward her chair.
“I don’t care,” said the receptionist, not looking up.
“Alrighty,” mumbled Rose to herself, taking her seat.
Rose had flipped through most of the magazine when the office door Jamie had gone through opened and her and Lt Greene exited the room.
Standing, Rose walked over to them. “How’d it go?”
“Fine,” said Jamie giving Lt Greene a faux-annoyed look. “Took us a while to find something that fit, but we got there. I’m going to be a nurse here at MGH,” added Jamie giving Rose a smile. “I guess you’re up.”
“Okay, I left a magazine over there for you,” said Rose moving toward the office but stopping and turning. “If you need another, the receptionist is very helpful, I’m sure she could get you whatever you want,” she called in the direction of the reception desk. The woman at the desk looked up slightly, frowned and gave a grunt before returning to her book.
Chuckling, Rose followed Lt Greene into the office. The smile on her lips died as she entered the room, the door closing behind her. There was a single table in the room with several chairs at different places around it. Sitting in a chair directly across from the door was Dr Knight.
“Great to see you again Ms Rose. Or do you just go by Rose now?” Dr Knight did not stand, he just sat there, a thin smile on his thin lips.
“I...ah, I…” Rose stammered, unsure what to say.
Lt Greene cut in. “I normally handle these intake interviews but Dr Knight insisted he be a part of yours. Please, Ms Rose, grab a seat.”
Still at a loss for words, the bad feeling in the back of her mind now expanding exponentially into full-on dread, Rose grabbed the closest chair and pulled herself into it. Jamie clearly hadn’t had the same experience in this room, Rose would’ve known it when she came out. It must have been how Lt Green described: unusual.
Lt Green opened up a file folder on the table, flipped a few pages and read briefly before looking to Rose. “We don’t always have this much information on people, especially those who have been off the grid for so long before they turn up here, but it appears the CDC had compiled most of this information around the time of the outbreak several years ago. I’m just going to go over it briefly with you for accuracy.”
“Okay…” said Rose slowly. Glancing over at Dr Knight, his gaze was fixed on her, the slight smile still on his lips and there was a hint of something in his eyes too...enjoyment?
“You are Jordan Rose, formerly of Green Forks, Maine?” continued Lt Greene. “Widow of Kate Rose, and former member of the Green Forks Police Department?”
“Yes, that’s all true,” said Rose quietly.
“There is an annotation in here that you are immune to the infection. This was confirmed upon your arrival in Boston. Were you aware of this?” asked Lt Greene.
“Yes, I knew,” confirmed Rose.
“There is also an annotation that says a four man CDC evaluation team was sent to your home in Green Forks to detain you after the outbreak. This team was later confirmed dead at your residence. All four confirmed shot to death.” After reading, Lt Greene looked at Rose and raised an eyebrow.
“Was that a question?” asked Rose, her voice hardening. Should she lie here? They seemed to know everything about her. They knew who Kate was, they knew Kate was dead, they knew what Rose had done to escape Green Forks. Why was Dr Knight here? The last thing she was going to do was ask for forgiveness. She’d survived this long relying on herself, she wasn’t about to apologize for that.
“Did you kill that team?” asked Lt Greene directly.
“Yes. I’d seen what the CDC had done at Green Forks Hospital,” Rose turned and looked directly at Dr Knight. “All the staff there, the security guards...everyone was killed and burned on Dr Knight’s order. When the team showed up at my home, it was them or me. I wasn’t going to be carted off, thrown in a cage, experimented on because of something I had no control over or asked for. I did what I needed to do to survive.” Defiant, Rose crossed her arms. “Next question.”
Lt Greene looked over to Dr Knight. Dr Knight gave a slight nod. Lt Greene sighed, looked down at the files, and turned the page. “You were MIA for approximately two years from when the team at your home was killed to when you showed up here in Boston. Please tell us what you did in those two years.”
“I survived,” answered Rose, defiant.
“Could you be a little more specific?” asked Lt Greene, now becoming annoyed.
“Alright fine. I went north into Quebec, I found some other people who’d escaped the infection, I found Jamie and we all survived together in a cabin. We thought two years would be enough to outlast the infection. Apparently we were wrong.” Rose’s arms were still crossed but some of the defiance was fading. Glimpses of memories, of the people she’d lost along the way; Aaron, Adeline, Rene and others flashed through her mind.
“The others you were with, they’re not here. Did you kill them as well?” asked Lt Greene bluntly.
“Jamie and I were the only ones that survived,” said Rose solemnly.
“The others? Killed by you?” Lt Greene pressed.
Anger flashed in Rose’s eyes briefly, but she knew he was just asking questions, he had no idea what she’d been through. “No,” she finally said. After a pause she added, “Some I lost to the infection, others to...people.”
“You said ‘I’, were you were their leader?”
“I never planned it and it didn’t start out that way, but it always seemed to end up that way. I never asked for it…” Rose trailed off.
“How many people have you killed. The total.”
“I’m not sure, too many. But they were all threats, threats to myself, my group, my survival, none of them were innocent,” Rose replied, her voice and confidence returning.
Lt Greene looked down at the files again and flipped through several more pages before closing it. “Are you sure about this Dr Knight?” he asked.
“Oh very much so Lieutenant. I think she will fit in nicely,” he said, the doctor’s smile growing.
Lost, Rose turned to Dr Knight. “What are you talking about? What am I fitting nicely into?”
“Tell me Rose,” asked Dr Knight, “when you snuck down into our secure garages and took a look around at our prisoners down there, what exactly did you think about what we were doing?” Lt Greene’s eyes grew wide jumping back and forth between Rose and Dr Knight and his face began to turn pink, the notion that Rose had made it down into the garages was clearly a surprise to him.
Sensing a test, Rose narrowed her eyes. “At first, I was shocked that you would be keeping Alphas locked up below a hospital inside your secure city. But, then when I realized what you were doing, trying to find a cure and I gotta admit, I had less of a problem with it.” Rose shrugged. “ I suppose curing them is a lot easier than finding and killing all of them, right?”
Dr Knight laughed, a high-pitched, squeaky laugh that matched the tone of his voice. “Oh yes, I imaging that would be a lot easier, don’t you think Greene?” Dr Knight continued to chuckle and Lt Greene looked on, uncomfortable and silent.
“I’m still confused, if you couldn’t tell,” added Rose, now annoyed. Dr Knight seemed to be toying with her.
“Ok fine, enough with the silliness,” said Dr Knight clearing his throat. “We have an opening on one of the elite teams we use to capture infected persons, Alphas, as you called them. There are a few requirements for this team which I would say you possess, wouldn’t you agree Lieutenant Greene?” Lt Green still appeared uncomfortable and had clearly disconnected himself from the conversation. Was he uncomfortable with the experiments? The capture team? Dr Knight? All three? Rose guessed probably the latter. Lt Greene nodded slightly.
Dr Knight continued, “Immunity is a requirement, we can’t have team members out of commission for weeks or months while they’re being cured. Other popular traits include proficiency with weapons which I think that team we sent to your house can attest you possess. The ability to be a leader, think on your feet and most important, a will to survive and fight through adversity. Based on what you’ve told us and what you’ve demonstrated since you arrived in Boston, I think you would be a perfect fit on one of my teams. What do you say? This has to seem more interesting than working as a farmer or plumber or whatever job Lieutenant Greene would end up assigning you to.”
Rose hated to admit it, but Dr Knight was exactly right. Doing anything else but what he’d just described would be torture. How long before Rose’s thoughts would start to drift to moving on from Boston to somewhere else if she was stuck working in a field? Rose knew this was the right option for her, but could she trust Dr Knight? He seemed to be saying all the right things, but why? Why was he so willing to trust her? Working closely with him might be the best way to judge that…
“I can see the wheels turning in that pretty head of yours. So, what will it be? Fun and guns or sun and sweat?” asked Dr Knight.
Rose sighed, “Okay, I’m in.”
Chapter 12
The meeting had wrapped up not long after Rose had agreed to join Boston’s military defense force. She was given a place and time to report for duty in several days and then escorted back to the lobby by Lt Greene. Rose found Jamie and the woman in the lobby having a lively conversation about something or another. Jamie always had that effect on people, she was affable and could relate to anyone; she would make a great nurse.
Leaving the lobby and walking outside into the humid, grey drizzle, Rose and Jamie were met by one of Lt Greene’s subordinates, his clipboard in hand. Rose and Jamie’s car, the one Rose had barely managed stop from crashing into the barrier wall, had been searched, inventoried, and then repacked less the guns, ammunition, and other weapons. They were allowed to keep their food, clothing and all other personal effects, but everything else went to the defense and support of Boston.
“What about self-defense?” asked Rose to the sandy-haired clerk with large glasses holding the clipboard.
“Defense is the role of the military and the guards on the walls. No one is allowed weapons inside the city unless they are military and on-duty,” replied the clerk with a shrug. He flipped a few pages on his clipboard and added, “But, it looks like you’ll be joining the military either way. Once you report, they’ll provide you with whatever they deem necessary.”
Rose did not like that answer, but figured there was little she could do to change it, especially with this low-level clerk.
“You will be allowed to keep your vehicle,” the man continued. “Fuel is a scarce commodity and you are only allowed so much per year. I would suggest not using your car often. You may want to keep in mind that you’ll be walking, running, or possibly biking to work most days, year round, so if that isn’t appealing, you’ll want to select a residence that is as close as possible to where you’ll be working.”
Rose hadn’t thought about where her and Jamie would be living outside of the hospital. Rose turned to Jamie, “Any suggestions on where you want to live?”
“My parents lived in Watertown, but that’s way outside the walls. What are our options?”
&
nbsp; The sandy-haired man flipped another sheet on his clipboard. “We have openings all over the city, you pretty much have your pick, but I can let you know which sections of the city are in better shape than others. We are nowhere near capacity.” The man paused, scanning the sheet. “I have housing available near here in Beacon Hill, over by Tufts Med Center, up in the North End, as well as in the Back Bay. There’s also some condos left on Congress Street and over by the Aquarium. Like I said, we’re pretty wide-open.
Rose liked the idea of living near the aquarium but who knows what it might be like while living in a police state. The animals may have all been eaten for all she knew. Before Rose could say anything, Jamie answered the clerk. “I’ve always liked the old North End of Boston, but if I could choose anywhere, I’d say the Back Bay. It’s only like a mile walk to MGH. What do you think Rose?”
“I think I’ll defer to your judgement. If you think the Back Bay is best, then that’s where we’ll live,” she said putting her arm around Jamie’s shoulders and giving her a squeeze. “It’s not like it’d take us days to cross the city anyway.”
“We have several homes on the northern end of Beacon Street if that works for you, that will put you a little closer to MGH,” the man asked, helpfully.
“Sold!” said Jamie, a wide smile on her face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It didn’t take them long to find their new home. Jamie had been right, it was only about a mile from the hospital and with almost no vehicle traffic, just pedestrians and bikers, they made good time. It’d stopped drizzling and was now just overcast but bright. Free from any debris that would make driving difficult, the streets were virtually empty of cars and made the city seem largely abandoned despite the occasional person walking about. There were three lanes for driving on Beacon Street each direction plus a lane along each curb for parking making the road seem enormous. Given their situation, it seemed garish to have such wide roads, but Rose figured they were likely packed with cars before the infection, back when this was still a city and not a community trying to survive.
Jordan Rose Duology (Book 2): Homecoming Page 15