The Infected [Books 1-6]

by P. S. Power

  "Um, I could use room, board and a place to stay for a few months. And some water, if that's available?" Brian smiled, his voice raspy from lack of fluid. It wasn't what he meant to say, but it suddenly felt right, as if it was what he was supposed to say.

  Without pausing the woman smiled and nodded at him.

  "Decided to leave the military without bothering to finish the whole slave contract? Good. I can get you some clothes and if you're willing to work, I can put you up for a while. Out back. It isn't perfect, but you can make improvements if you want. Do you know anything about gardening? I want to put one in." She walked around the counter, not waiting to see if he was kidding or not at all. "Is this too close to that secret base for you? Sometimes people from there come in. Not often, but..."

  He shook his head.

  "No one in the world is looking for me. I just happen to be wearing these clothes. I traded a guy for them. Um... That base... there was a thing there earlier. Most of the people are gone. Um, dead. Eventually they'll need to rebuild. That might be good for business here. I don't know anything about gardening, but I'm willing to work hard if you tell me what to do." He didn't sound enthused, but it actually sounded pretty nice. The woman smiled a bit nervously and gave him the grand tour, which included the little room in the back she lived in and the shed out back that she meant for him. It had power to it, though no water.

  "We'll have to share the bathroom, is that all right?"

  "Not a problem." He looked at her and noticed that she was staring at him, her blue eyes locking with his own for a bit.

  "Oh, sorry, I'm Brian. Brian Yi."

  "Mary Wyrdcraft."

  The name made him smile, one he actually meant, but he didn't explain or try to. It was enough to be taken on as free labor and get a place to lie low for a while. He didn't have to seem insane while he did the work. It would be hard enough not getting the cultural references as it was. At least he'd seen Star Wars. He doubted it would be a big topic of conversation with Mary though, for some reason.

  The shed was made of wood and kind of cobbled together, but she had some blankets he could use she said, and an old radio for entertainment. She went to see if she had some clothing that would fit him, just saying that and walking away, as if he might want to unpack his luggage or something. It was cute.

  She was too, but having sex in the past could lead to some pretty big changes to history if he wasn't careful. Anything he did could, of course, but so far it seemed like this was what had already happened, so at least there was that. He was just doing what he had to then? To make it all turn out the same?

  Brian shook his head and noticed that there were some tools off to the side. Looking around he found some string and an ax, which he used to sharpen some sticks to points, just kneeling on the dirt floor of the little shed. It was what he was doing when Mary came back, her eyes going wide when she saw what he was doing. She didn't speak, her arms full of clothing, a lot more of it than he'd figured she would have. It looked like men's too, which was helpful.

  He stood and set the ax aside. It needed to be sharpened, but he could get to that later. He grabbed a claw hammer instead, one that wasn't new, but hand been well cared for.

  "We can walk out that garden you want?" Lifting the sticks earned him a shocked look, and then a smile after a moment.

  "Oh, I thought you were going to make a trap or something. That or, you know, go after some Vampires?" Handing him the clothes she nodded though, which got him to set them down in the corner and follow her out, not wanting to change just yet, since he wasn't sure she would actually be wanting him to stay. It was a weird situation and a woman alone probably couldn't feel comfortable with some strange man suddenly showing up.

  She pointed to a space that was huge compared to what he figured she would really need for a late garden, but she didn't seem to think anything of it.

  "We can put in some lettuce and cabbage. We don't really have time for this much, but if you turn the soil now it will be easier for me to do next time. You know, pull the rocks and all that?"

  Brian nodded, the soil wasn't great that way, so it was a real point. He set the perimeter with stakes and then ran the string, wondering how insane this would sound if he ever told anyone. Go back in time and then start a garden way out of season? Still, it might just be a test, meant to see if he was willing to work for real. A car pulled up in the front, a large American thing, and Mary ran back into the store, coming out about ten minutes later to find him already digging.

  "See what I mean about the rocks?" She smiled a little as she spoke, the shovel he'd gotten clicking on another one, which he pulled and tossed to the side.

  "Yeah. I should have this done in a few hours." It might take longer, but he wanted to do a good job.

  Mary looked away, her head making an almost subliminal shaking motion.

  "Oh... No hurry. I can't pay you really. You said room and board, but... this isn't much." She seemed embarrassed, as if she was taking advantage of him. Which she was, but if he was getting clothing, food and a place to be for a while he couldn't complain. He hadn't even had to try dumpster diving yet, or anything.

  "No worries. It's enough."

  Then he started back to work. By the time it started to get dark he had the whole thing turned once, but there were still probably stones he'd need to find. Maybe chop the soil up or something? He'd have to ask, since he didn't know about gardens much at all. Now Hobbs knew about that kind of thing, his power being to make plants grow a lot faster than they otherwise would have. By about eight times. It wasn't exactly something that would have gotten him into the IPB, not on its own, but he was such a good fighter that he'd basically just walked in and applied, taking Marcia down so many times in the first few minutes that she signed him up for Team Two regardless of what powers he had.

  Brian hadn't heard that story until later, but it was kind of neat anyway. Plus, as it turned out, helpful. He was from the same world that Braid came from after all. That couldn't have been coincidence either.

  Dinner that night came when the shop had closed, about seven, and was interesting. It wasn't bad, but the food itself had kind of a hippie flare to it, being mainly vegetables, over rice with a thin but spicy sauce. It was almost like Japanese stir fry, but was served with flat bread like tortillas, that Mary made herself. They sat at her little table to eat after he washed up, changing this time, into the strange clothing she'd given him. It was loose fitting and kind of odd, also having a feeling that it belonged to someone from about ten years earlier. It fit well enough though and the colors were nice and bland, instead of looking like he was at the center of an LSD trip.

  "Is this good?" Mary said it like she wasn't sure he'd find it suitable, rather than asking if he liked it.

  "It's very good, actually. Different, but that isn't a bad thing. A lot of things are different here, aren't they?" He didn't mean anything by it, but it got him a skeptical look almost instantly.

  "You don't like my cooking?" It was almost playful though, not angry sounding.

  "It's good. I was just thinking of other things... What else do you want done?"

  They talked for the rest of the meal about several things, repainting the shop, rearranging the things inside, displays and that sort of thing and setting up a small deli counter, which would have to be built. It seemed like enough to keep him busy for a few weeks. He also offered to work in the store and to do anything else that was needed. He had the time after all and wanted to seem useful.

  That night he slept on the ground, which was hard, but flat, so worked well enough. He actually got a pillow, since Mary provided one, which helped a lot. In the morning he was up with the sun and decided to go over the garden again, looking for rocks, since it was easier to do in the light, and the temperature was cooler as well. That took a few hours and gave him just enough time to clean up before breakfast, which was plain rice. Mary had the same thing, and it had to be cheap, so he didn't mention it at all. Food was f
ood and he even liked rice well enough.

  It turned out that the new paint for the store was already there, being kept inside in a little storage space, so he was able to get a good start on that, doing the back first, in case he needed the practice before doing the parts that showed. They had rollers for it and it didn't need a lot of work, Mary mainly wanting to make sure her place looked clean and tidy more than anything else. The drop cloth he had to use was a thin canvas, but it worked, and he managed not to get the front window covered with drips at all, which he'd worried about. He'd had to get the woman to buy some tape and newspapers to cover it, but that evening he finished it all up without making too big a mess. It was surprising that it had only taken a single day, but then the building wasn't huge. One story and just big enough for the shop to look like it was real and not some kind of tourist gift thing.

  The days passed like that for about two weeks, with them discussing what she wanted at dinner, and Brian trying to make it happen the next day. In the evenings he used bits of scrap he found to make a bed frame and then walked into town to see if he could find something that would work as a mattress. No one was giving away beds, of course, so he came back empty handed, to find Mary in the front of her place talking seriously to someone that looked familiar. Too much so, even though she looked younger now that he had a chance to pay closer attention to her. Same long hair, only darker. Same face, only unlined, now that he focused on her more closely than the day before.

  Braid.

  "Devorah... no. If I bring too many people through from our world it will become noticeable to the Westers. We aren't immune to them here you know. I can't risk it. We can't risk it. Why do you want more of your family here anyway? I'd have thought that you'd prefer to be alone. Shouldn't that make it easier for you to control the future here? I thought your family often came into conflict..."

  "Don't tell me about my family Mary! I know what they are. What I don't know what this new thing is though... He has powers like yours, except not. Like mine... except not. I saw him there, walking out of the distance, but I didn't see him." The woman pounded her own forehead with the side of her fist. It set her long braid to swinging a little from the impact.

  "How can that be? I see everyone, all the time! I need help. Who knows what he wants? He could be here to destroy us all."

  Brian nodded a little, which got Mary to look at him and made Braid, who looked like she was a full blood Native American of some kind, spin in place looking at him with an open mouth.

  Brian smiled and made a tiny half bow towards the woman.

  "Mrs. Moore. Fancy meeting you here. Did you come for the coffee cake? Mary made it. It's very good." It was too. It had taken a few batches for her to really get it right and his careful explanation that most people liked cinnamon rather than clove as a flavoring, but it had worked out. It was sitting on the little deli bar, which he pointed too.

  "Ah!" Devorah looked panicked, but pointed at him as if Brian had jumped out and shouted boo in order to startle her.

  "You! Mary... get him! It's him!"

  She didn't attack though and Mary just took a few steps back, not lashing out at all. Then she was his friend now, wasn't she?

  "Brian? Devorah... we won't have violence here. Now, why are you screaming about my shop man? He's been here for weeks and is a really good worker. Like hiring an advocate for my place here. I've never seen him stop before the task is done. Don't scare him away because of your nerves."

  That made a lot of sense to Brian. Hobbs had always called him "Advocate Yi" which was a term of respect, he thought. He was "Advocate Hobbs" after all.

  "I was once offered a recommendation to the Order of the Circle, but that's in a different world and time, so I had to decline." That was a slight over statement really, Hobbs had just said that if they were in his world he would have done that, but it got an interesting reaction from the two in front of him.

  Mary smiled and clapped a little and Braid ran out the front. A few seconds later a car ripped out of the gravel parking area. It needed to be weeded soon, he realized. He could do that next, if he didn't have to kill the woman in front of him. Brian hoped he wouldn't. He really liked her.

  "I knew you were strange, but not that you were from home. How did you get here? Are you..." She looked at him closely and tilted her head.

  "No, you aren't one of my family, a Wyrd. So... a sport maybe? The Circle takes some of those from time to time, if they have the calling." Her accent shifted as she went, still in English but with an odd lilt to it that he recognized from Hobbs at times.

  It was a confusing conversation, but he thought he was keeping up with it well enough. Mainly from things Hobbs had told him.

  "I'm from this world. Just not this time. From the future, about thirty years or so. I came back in time... Infected, you know? It's the first time I did it. I should be able to go back after a while." He shrugged, knowing it wouldn't make sense, but Mary smiled anyway.

  "Well, good. I've enjoyed the company and help. Do you think you can stay here now? Devorah Timberland seemed frightened of you and that isn't a good thing, her kind can get touchy when scared. You should be safe enough here with me, if you want to stay? Until you need to leave I mean. Time travel can be hard that way. Shifting between worlds too."

  Not knowing what else to do he nodded.

  "That seems about right. It really hurt, coming back like that. I wasn't ready for it at all. Hopefully it won't be a huge new thing I have to do, once I get back. I'm needed there though. Oddly enough, to take care of Braid there. Devorah. She goes kind of insane and is trying to start a massive war that will kill millions of people. It isn't a well balanced idea. She might just destroy the whole planet if she isn't careful. She plans to set the militaries of the world against the Infected. That will not end well, you know? War seldom does."

  Instead of ordering him out, or asking for explanations, Mary smiled sweetly and moved closer, patting him on the arm. At first he figured it was a set up for an attack, and nearly hit her, but it was just normal contact. Then she asked if he'd like to look at some plans for a refrigerated case for beverages she wanted to put in. It would take time to save the money, but would be worth it, she asserted, if the base was going to be rebuilding soon.

  After a while he looked at her, sitting at the table, plans spread out, showing the design she wanted.

  "So... Is Devorah a friend of yours?"

  Shaking her head the woman looked away.

  "No, merely a client. A mistake apparently. I help people from my world transit to here on occasion. It's forbidden, but they can't touch us here, not if we're careful about it. There are... many worlds. I don't know if this is a known thing to you?"

  "Sure, in theory at least. Multiple realities, each different, though often similar in many ways?"

  "That. So I come from a world that is very different from here. Harsher and more controlled, with much less freedom over all, with each being knowing that they have a particular place in the scheme of things." She shuddered at the thought and looked at him again, sweetly.

  "In that place there are rules about who you can love, or even befriend. Class is far more important than it is here. There we power things differently, so it is largely pristine though. No coal or oil used. Instead we use-"

  Brian nodded, having heard this part before.

  "Elcampayn energy. Except that it's being mismanaged by the governments there and the people that produce it are dying out, instead of being nurtured. Killed I think, in secret, to weaken the other lands. Tortured and so on. Or they will be. I don't know if it's happening yet though. Not a good thing."

  "What?" Mary leaped to her feet and moved fast enough that her hippie skirt nearly tripped her on the second step. "Those... fools!"

  Apparently she both believed him and meant it, because she railed at these people he didn't know for some time while pacing. Then she stopped suddenly.

  "Oh! Your dinner. I'll start that right now. Forgive me.
"

  "No big thing." He was hungry, but she acted as if it were a major failing or a huge event, him having to wait a few minutes to eat.

  They didn't speak about where she was from after that, not for days. She worked in the shop and smiled at him more, but seemed quiet most of the time, unless someone came in. He built a new structure in the back, paying the city for a permit and doing the work in a legal enough fashion. Mary had to sign the paperwork, which was a chore, since she didn't really exist in the system, but he didn't either, so it was about even that way. No one called them on it and he got the thing up before the cold weather came.

  Brian didn't know for certain, but it was starting to feel like he could leave at any time. Becky didn't say anything when he asked the first time, but eventually she showed up as he sat in the little shed, huddled under his blankets for warmth.

  "Brian... It's getting close. I... OK, I'm not certain here, but I think you need to... um... have sex with Mary before you go? A lot of it. I can't say why, but it's one of those important things, so, you know, go and put the moves on her." She waved as if ordering him to do it at that very moment.

  "Why? I mean, not that I'm not willing, in an abstract way, but that seems to be asking for trouble, doesn't it? What if she got pregnant or just doesn't want to do that with me? No, I think I'll pass on that one, thanks. We'd probably end up with some kind of mess coming from the whole thing." He tried to seem matter of fact and even cool about it all, as if it didn't matter to him, but the truth was it did. He was going out with Karen and even if she was sleeping with other guys, it felt wrong for him to be doing the same thing behind her back.

  That thought got Becky to roll her eyes. Not that they were real, but she did it anyway, crossing her arms at the same time.

  "Don't be a moron. If, and notice I'm not saying that my sister being in a meeting with a guy means anything, but if she was doing that, there would be a good reason for it and it wouldn't be a comment on you at all. She likes you a lot. You two don't have an exclusive relationship though, so grow up. Besides, I think... Um... Let me check on something here."