Tobias nodded. He could be trusted to keep something like that to himself for a few hours, unlike the other reporters. “By the way, got any information about Hanna? Is it the woman who cleans my room?”
“Yeah.”
“She cleaned Alec’s room too.” Tobias was quickly putting together the connection between the girl and the bombing.
“She did, and that’s all you’re getting from me.” Mathias stood up from the little chair he had been sitting on. “I should be going.”
“One last question.”
“What?”
“Should I start making an information video? Like, interview the off-shippers and other people who should have a good idea about what the mainland will be like? We can hook up a few of the screens again, and play it at important junctures around the ship.”
“That’s good thinking. I have no problem with it. In fact, talk to some of the doctors as well. They probably have some thoughts.”
“I will.”
Mathias thanked him, and then left the media room. He headed up to the promenade next, figuring there was a good chance that Josh was with his patient, Nicky. Josh wasn’t a real psychologist, but he had done a rotation in the psychology ward while still a resident at the hospital that taught him. A lot of doctors had been rescued from the hospital, but since the first zombie patients had been deemed insane, the psych ward was lost too quickly to help the doctors there. This meant that Josh was the only one who had any recent psych training, although the counsellor, Brittany, was learning from him.
Walking into the modified jewellery store that served as the ship’s armoury, Mathias quickly noticed that there was already a stronger guard presence here. Once news of the Jamaicans was released to the public, there was a danger that they would rush the place in an attempt to arm themselves better. Not only did the leaders want to keep the bullets and guns for those best trained to use them, but they also didn’t want the population to learn just how low on ammo they actually were.
The guards recognized Mathias, but he still had to state who he was and what he was doing there. They confirmed that Josh was there—which was unneeded as Mathias could see him across the space—and informed him that they would send him out when he was done talking to Nicky. Normally, Mathias’s position let him roam freely around the armoury; they were really taking this guard duty seriously.
Back out on the promenade, Mathias waited, watching through one of the shatter resistant windows that they had reinforced further with a few layers of chicken wire. Through it, he could see Josh and Nicky. He felt sorry for Nicky. Like Mathias, she once worked for Marble Keystone, the overly rich company that was led by at least one insane maniac who thought humanity needed a reset. Keystone had not only created the zombie virus, but also deliberately released it into the public. Originally, Nicky had worked in a different facility from Mathias, but then she had been moved to the same one just before the outbreak, and subsequently from there to a prison where Keystone had been rounding up survivors. Even though Mathias knew her, he didn’t speak to her much. He found it awkward, because she couldn’t always remember who he was, or mistook him for someone else. Some prisoners had kidnapped her, and during her ordeal, her head had taken a lot of blows, resulting in brain damage. Her nose was a bit crooked from being broken, and she always walked with a bit of a limp. Still, she could disassemble, clean, and reassemble weapons with ease and efficiency.
At last, Josh finished his meeting with her and left the armoury.
“Hey, Mathias. What’s up?” He walked over, but Mathias quickly led him to a more private location. Mathias remembered that back when they had first met, they hadn’t liked each other much. Josh had had a crush on Riley—who had worked at the hospital with him—but the two men had since gotten past that, and found they actually got along pretty well.
Once they were in a nook where no one could overhear them, Mathias told Josh all about the Jamaicans and Texas. Josh absorbed the information with very few questions.
“Mary’s not going to like this,” he sighed.
“Mary?”
“One of my patients. Lauren’s mentioned her before.”
“Oh right, she was at the motel with her and the kids.”
“Yeah. She’s finally acting human again; however, she still won’t tell me a lot of things. Like her real name, for instance. All I’ve been able to figure out is that something happened to her child. Whatever it was, it scarred her, and she’s not going to want to go back to land.”
“Maybe you should be with her when the announcement’s made.”
“Yeah. By the way, have you seen Misha around? After what’s happened, I’ve been meaning to speak with him, but he keeps disappearing on me.”
“I was going to ask you the same question. I saw him earlier today, but don’t know where he is now.”
“Did he seem okay to you? I’d imagine that Alec’s death hit him the hardest, what with them sharing a room and all. And how are you doing?”
“When I find him, I’ll let him know you’re looking. Honestly, I’m not doing too bad. I had some time last night to sort through my feelings, and since then, I’ve been too busy to think about it much.”
“You look exhausted. When did you last sleep?”
“Before Shoes’ funeral.”
“As a doctor, I’m prescribing that you get immediate rest.”
“After I let everyone know about Texas.”
“It’s not going to kill them to learn about it from the ship’s captains.”
“I know, but I want to be the one to tell them.”
“By the way, where’s Milly? I didn’t think she’d be allowed in the medical centre with Riley.”
“She’s wandered off again.” That made Mathias think about how Riley hadn’t asked about the dog, which showed just how concerned she was. “I wasn’t in the medical centre long, but it looked like something was going on down there. Maybe you should go down and make sure they don’t need any help.”
“Okay. You said there’s still about an hour before the announcement, right? That should give me time to check in there, and then go find Mary.”
Mathias and Josh said their good-byes and went in separate directions: Josh toward the medical centre, while Mathias headed for the helipad on the nose of the ship. Just because Mathias had promised Riley he wouldn’t tell anyone about the infection, didn’t mean he couldn’t send Josh down there to find out on his own.
Outside on the fourth deck, Mathias climbed the steps that led to the helipad. His younger brother, Danny, could usually be found there if he wasn’t running laps or on a training shift with one of the ship defenders. Danny was only fourteen when the Day happened, but had since grown into a twenty-year-old man who was working hard to follow in his big brother’s footsteps. He had wanted to be a helicopter pilot most of his life, and although neither of the choppers were regularly taken out, Danny volunteered his time to keep them in working order, and always went up to learn from the pilots the few times they were flown.
On the helipad, sat a Eurocopter AS532 Cougar helicopter. It was constantly maintained and kept ready to go at a moment’s notice. The thing nearly dwarfed the helipad, which was meant for smaller, emergency choppers. In the lower section behind the helipad, was their second helicopter. It was a tiny, two-seater bubble chopper, which was almost constantly in pieces so that it could fit in the space. When the Cougar was taken out for its exercise, the little bubble chopper was then quickly assembled on the helipad, and taken out on its own little scouting trip. Mathias found Danny among the smaller helicopter’s pieces—of which there were more than usual—checking them over for salt damage.
“Danny!” Mathias called as he moved toward him.
“Hey!” Danny wiped his greasy hands on a rag and got up to go to his brother. “What’s up?”
Mathias usually clasped arms with Danny when they got together outside of dinner; however, he refrained from doing so today. He made it appear as though he di
dn’t want Danny’s greasy hands touching him, but really, it was because he didn’t want to touch his baby brother if it turned out he was infected. He had been avoiding touching everyone since he learned.
Without delaying, Mathias told Danny all about Texas. Danny just nodded his head as if he had been expecting this information. Maybe he always had been in some way. The kid had grown up constantly being moved from place to place. The Diana had been his home longer than any other place.
“How are you handling what happened to Alec?” Mathias then asked.
The side of Danny’s face twitched as he held back some expression. His eyes couldn’t hide the pain however. Alec had rescued Danny on the Day. If luck hadn’t brought Mathias to them, Alec would still be taking care of Danny. Although Danny never said anything, Mathias thought he saw the man as something like the father he never knew.
“I’d rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind,” Danny said, staring off at some distant point.
“I won’t force you, but don’t hold it in, okay?”
“I’m not. Brittany’s helping me. I heard about Jon. Is he okay?” Danny and Jon had been foster brothers when the Day occurred, surviving by completely different means but still ending up in the same place. They were closer friends now than they had been back then.
“I don’t know,” Mathias shook his head. “If I hear anything, I’ll tell you.”
“Thanks.” For a moment, Danny stared at that distant point again. “Well, I should get back to work.”
“Yeah, I have to go inform the others. You haven’t seen Misha around by any chance, have you?”
“Nope. I haven’t seen him all day.”
“All right. Thanks. See you at dinner?”
“You bet.”
Mathias headed from the front of the ship to the back, keeping a constant eye out for Misha. He didn’t spot the scrawny Russian anywhere, so he went to the schoolrooms to talk to Abby. Walking up to the door of the older kids’ classroom, he peered in through the window. The teenagers were being rowdy and talkative. It didn’t look like they were doing any work. Frowning, Mathias opened the door. Upon seeing him, all the teens fell silent, unsure of what to make of his presence. Sticking his head through the door, Mathias looked around but didn’t spot Abby anywhere, or the second teacher who helped out with the teenaged kids.
“Where’s Abby?” Mathias asked the classroom.
“Ms. Abby was called away by a ship defender like you,” a polite girl raised her hand and responded. “Ms. Ellen had to go watch the little kids’ class, so I think Ms. Lauren was also called away.”
Glancing around the room again, Mathias noted that Claire was also absent. He realized that they would have been told about Jon, and it was likely that they were off to see him.
“Mathias?”
Mathias turned around to find Abby, Lauren, Peter, and Claire entering the area outside the classrooms.
“Hey, I was just looking for you.”
Claire walked straight past Mathias, grim faced, and took her seat.
“I take it she’s upset.”
“Yeah,” Lauren nodded. “I guess you know about Jon.”
“I do. Lauren, mind if I talk to Abby alone for a second?”
“Sure, I should probably relieve Ellen of duty anyway.” Lauren walked into the little kids’ classroom, taking Peter along with her.
“What’s up?” Abby wondered.
Mathias closed the door to the teenagers’ room and lead Abby to an area where they wouldn’t be overheard. As much as Lauren was now basically part of the group, Mathias chose to inform just Abby. She’d likely tell Lauren on her own anyway. Once again, he related the news about Texas.
Abby started fidgeting with the small metal cross hanging around her neck. “First the bomb, then Jon, and now this?”
“I know.”
“When’s it going to stop, Mathias?”
He didn’t know what to say to that. He so desperately wanted to tell Abby about the infection, and that maybe there’s something wrong with the test, that Jon could be fine. He had promised Riley though, and the news could easily upset Abby further.
“I just wish-” Before Abby could finish speaking her thought aloud, Lauren came out of her class looking as flustered as a finch in a hurricane. “Lauren? What’s wrong?”
Lauren looked at Mathias, and then Abby. “Four of the kids are missing.”
“What?” Abby walked over to Lauren and took her hands in her own. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, four of them aren’t in class like they’re supposed to be. Ellen had to leave them a few times, never for more than a minute or two, to check on the teenagers. Some of them must have slipped out while she was gone, and because she never works with the little ones, she didn’t notice they were missing.” Lauren glanced at Mathias again.
“I’m so, so sorry.” Ellen appeared in the doorway, her eyes full of fright.
“They’re not hurt,” Mathias told the women. “Private Winchester saw them earlier. He meant to bring them back here, but was pulled away due to an emergency, and then they left the room he had placed them in. I’m sure they’re fine, and someone else will bring them back shortly.”
“Mathias,” Lauren stepped around Abby, “Hope is one of the missing kids.”
Mathias’s mouth dried up. Everything he had told Winchester, and now the teachers about the kids being fine, flew out the window. It was a completely different feeling when it was your own kid who was wandering around without supervision.
“I’m sure they’re fine,” Mathias said, sounding not nearly as sure as before. “Milly has also gone missing from the room Winchester put them in, so I’m sure she’s with the kids. They’ll turn up soon.”
Abby took his hand. “We’ll help you look for them.”
Mathias shook his head, and pulled his hand from hers. “No. No, you keep watch on all the other kids. I’ll start an organized search party. One’s already being set up to find Hanna, we’ll just add the kids to the search list. Who are the other children?”
“Becky, Adam, and Dakota.”
“I know Becky and Adam, they’re Hope’s friends. Which one is Dakota again?”
“Cowboy hat.”
“Right. Hope’s mentioned her a few times, but they’ve never played outside of school, I don’t think.”
“Dakota’s ten, so she should be watching over the younger ones,” Lauren told him in an attempt to make him feel better. It actually did help a little bit, however, not much. He would have felt a lot better knowing his kid was with a trusted adult.
Pulling his walkie-talkie off his belt, Mathias radioed several people to inform them of the missing kids, and to add them to the search list. One of them replied, saying he’d inform Captain Sigvard so that they could make an announcement over the PA about them.
“I better start looking,” Mathias said to the teachers as he returned his walkie-talkie to his belt.
“I’m so sorry,” Ellen repeated.
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. A lot’s been happening lately.” Mathias wasn’t even listening to what he was saying. He was speaking on autopilot. He was trying to think of where the kids might have gone.
It was hard to think, because one thought kept repeating over and over in his mind: Hope was still learning how to swim, and she had never been in the ocean.
9
Jon’s In Prison
Jon paced back and forth in front of his bench, the chain connecting his ankle to a dragon statue rattling across the floor with every step. The lights in there were few and dim, but they were still bright enough for Jon to make out the man from the other ship lying on his bench nearby. He hadn’t yet woken up from the drugs that the medical centre had given him. Jon blamed the man for what had happened to him. He didn’t think he was infected—he didn’t know how he could be—but if he was, it was the man’s fault.
Not long ago, Jon’s family had been down to see him. There were a lot of tears from
Abby, which tugged at Jon’s heart. He held firm, however. No matter how much it pained them, he continued to insist he wasn’t infected. They would see. In a few days, a week even, he won’t have turned. They’ll see then that the test was mistaken.
Jon had never been in the Dragon’s Den before. It used to be a night-club for young folks, and had two levels. Both of the entrances on the lower level had been sealed, so that the only way into the dance floor was from the stairs that led down from the bar above. Up in the bar, there were at least three guards on constant watch.
Down below, Jon and the man from the ship were the only ones chained to a statue, but they weren’t the only ones present. Drifting around, or sitting on benches at a distance, were other people who had broken one law or another. The fact that they weren’t chained meant their incarcerations were for nothing serious, most likely drunken disorderliness, or not honouring an agreed upon trade. They kept away from Jon, having been told that he and the other man were infected. Jon told them he wasn’t, but they had no reason to believe him.
There was one woman there whom Jon didn’t recognize. She kept to herself in the most shadowy spots and moved silently. Her attire was strange as well, not something the people on the Diana were likely to wear. Jon had figured out she was not from the Diana even before he asked Lauren and Abby about her. They said they weren’t sure where the woman had come from, but that she was new. It wasn’t surprising that she was down here. New people were often placed in the Dragon’s Den for a trial period in case they were carrying some other form of illness, and to make sure they weren’t violent. If they could handle the Den for a few days, then they should be able to handle life with everyone else.
The Den had no windows, and Jon’s watch had been taken from him, so he had no idea what time it was. He had been served lunch, but that was a while ago.
“Uhhhh,” the man from the other ship groaned. He smacked his lips while groggily sitting up, his limbs trembling with the effort.
“Hey,” Jon whispered as he slid down onto the bench next to him.
The man looked around, confused by his surroundings.
Survival Instinct (Book 3): Fighting Instinct Page 14