feeling her stomach turn. Sleepiness was setting in. She did not feel any happiness or sadness. Just numb. There was pain and it swam through her but it did not seem to bother her. Her shoulder ached and the claw marks on her leg throbbed. Worse her bite marks stung like poison. She thought of Evan and Jessie. Little Jessie who had just lost her other father.
“This part is the hardest,” Ava started again as Marines
started towards them, “Trying to go back to normal.” Abby looked up at her and said, “That is why you go out isn’t it?”
“Because you don’t know how to be normal anymore.” Ava lowered her eyes sadly but did not say a word.
the men. Abby saw a man running towards them and noticed it was Rodgers. He hugged Ava. Abby’s door opened suddenly and a man in a white coat stood there. Abby stared at him as Pooch growled.
“Hi,” He smiled with large blue eyes, “I’m Nurse Ryan. I will bring you to the doctor.”
Abby nodded sluggishly.
cracked as she stepped into the cool fresh air. Nurse Ryan held her hand with such softness. It was as if he was not holding it at all. Abby could hear laughter in the distance and smell fresh food cooking. It was like a dream. A wonderful dream yet she felt nothing.
“This way,” Nurse Ryan said kindly.
Holding her up he walked her slowly towards the building in front of them. Abby could see other nurses at the top of the stairs. The Marines by them stopped talking as she walked by. Abby stared at their blank expressions. They looked at her as if she were an alien. Ava stared at her and smiled the smallest of smiles.
They walked up the steps. Each step hurting her more and more. Nurse Ryan kept her hand and smiled at her every time he looked back at her. He smelt of cologne and his hair was blond. He looked younger than her. When they reached the top she was winded and her vision was a blur. Pooch snarled and growled at a nurse who tried to take her.
“We have a table,” someone else chimed in. “Get her on it.” Abby looked back down the steps and at the town around her. Large, alive, and beautiful. She then looked down at the Marines at the end of the steps. Ava was staring at her with a worried expression. Abby lowered her eyes and winced as they pulled her onto a gurney. The thought of when she had been
ambulance. Waiting to die. That feeling came back and it made her feel defeated.
She lost her vision as they laid her down. She could hear Pooch barking at the nurses. Abby clinched Pooch’s fur but her dreams.
-Chapter twenty-two
Abby lay in bed for four weeks before she could sit up. They had bathed her, cleaned her wounds, and given her a blue patient’s dress. She had a private room that was larger than any hospital room she had ever been in. It had a large window that looked out towards a frozen lake and a small wooded area. A park set nearby where people walked, jogged, played with their pets. As if nothing ever happened.
They had kept the window shut all week until Abby pulled herself out of bed and opened it. She had reopened some of her wounds. They ordered her to stay in bed after that. Even threatening to tie her down if she tried to move again. Her bite marks were healing well and ached only at night now. The claw marks and bolt wound had taken longer than the others but they closed. Every little cut on her was healing perfectly.
When she moved too much they did burn. The doctors said it would take a while before they truly healed. If she did too much they would reopen again. Somehow the infection inside her healed the outside of her skin quicker than the inside. Her bed was not a normal hospital bed. She had thick blankets and ten
of course yet under a shelf sat dozens of dvds.
The nurses would come in and change them for her. Abby had watched many series she used to love. After a while they made her feel dead inside. They reminded her of her parents she lost and her brother she never heard from again. She thought of her family a lot while lying in bed. Wondering if any were alive. Evan and Jessie were always on her mind as well. She fought to chase the thoughts away. Every time a nurse came in she would look at them and they would shake their heads.
Evan and Jessie had not shown up. Pooch laid at the end of the bed chewing on a toy with no shirt on. She looked up at Abby and narrowed her biddy eyes then went back to chewing. They had been treating Abby like she was some princess or something. Anything she wanted they gave. They even helped her sponge
When Abby mentioned she slept better with a fan blowing with an AC they gave her a remote for the AC in the room and brought in a fan and sat it on a desk across from her. They let her run the heater as high as she wanted too. When a nurse mentioned
had told her she had not had a good routine in years and missed it. They had brought her cleansers, moisturizers, vitamin c serum, toners, and many other things she never thought she’d use again.
Abby should feel happy and excited about all she had. She felt grateful. The happiness did not last. She was numb inside. She had no idea places like this were even real until she met Evan and Megan. She hated to wonder what would have happened to her if she had never met them. She smoothed the blanket she laid
cry. She had never looked so good in her life. Yet she felt as if nothing had purpose.
her hair products to keep it clean. They shaved her, a dentist checked her teeth, someone cleaned her pores. She was treated like a goddess. A part of her loved it and hoped it would never stop. Another part thought of all those people out there hiding from the Undead and the Husk. Scared that they will never have a warm bath again.
She thought of Evan and Jessie and how they left them. Even if they were dead. She imagined them in such horrible situations. Evan bleeding to death in the lounge. Jessie freezing to death in the snow. Abby closed her eyes and breathed. They would be bringing her breakfast soon. She ate better than she had ever eaten in her life. Each morning they brought her more than she could eat.
When the nurse came in she smiled wildly. She held a tray of food. A glass of fresh milk, one of water, and a plate full of food. Another nurse came in and Pooch jumped with joy. They had a bowl of dog food for her. It was homemade dog food and Pooch loved it. She had gained a lot of weight since they got to Haven. Abby stared at the tray the nurse sat beside her.
It had eggs, ham, homemade biscuits, grapes, slices of cantaloupe, and hash browns. Abby took the milk and sipped it.
“Do you need new dvds?” She asked kindly staring at Abby with a worried look in her bright brown eyes.
Abby shook her head.
“How are you feeling?” She asked lowering her voice.
“Is anyone okay?” Abby answered with a hint of irritation.
The nurse frowned and then took in a deep breath.
“Is there anything we can get you to make you more comfortable?” She asked with a warm smile.
Abby studied the nurse. Her long black hair, small brown eyes, chubby mid-section, and large freckles on her cheeks. She was a sweet girl. Abby felt bad for being rude. She looked away and then down at her food and started to pick at it. She did not feel hungry any more. She had gained weight since bedrest and even though it was a good thing somehow she felt bad for it.
She thought of Jessie and Evan out there starving and it made her feel ill. Abby looked up at the nurse who was still smiling at her. Then at the tv, the books in the bookshelf, the make up. Even though Abby did not use most of the things in the room they gave to her. She even had puzzles, crosswords puzzles, coloring books, and handheld game systems.
Abby looked at the kids’ coloring book on her bed she had been coloring in since she woke. The cinnamon candy on her counter she had been chewing on. She was very lucky and for the
as quickly as it came it went away and she felt empty again. It made her feel ashamed. She had so much yet felt so little.
The Nurse stared at her confused then eyed the room before saying, “What do you mean? Is the food bad?”
“No,” Abby said then chewed her bottom lip as she breathed, “What made the world go to hell? What did th
ey do? What exactly went wrong?”
The nurse stared blankly.
“I’m not stupid. I know they did this. Maybe not meaning to. But, I want to know what happened. Even if it doesn’t change anything.” Abby said sharply then added, “I need to know what was the master plan. If they meant for this to happen or not.”
The nurse suddenly was nervous and pulled hair behind her large ears. She laughed forcibly and nodded as she muttered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t do that. You may not have been part of it but the people here were.” Abby thought of Ava whom she had not gotten to speak to since she got here. Though the nurse did tell her
you will tell them that.”
The nurse swallowed hard and forced a smile. She nodded and turned around.
“Thank you for the food. It’s great.” Abby added with a forced smile.
The nurse twisted around and cheerfully smiled and said, “You are most welcome.”
She hurried from the room.
An hour later as Abby chewed on some candy and colored in a big-eyed puppy the door opened. Pooch growled on the
swallowed hard as she stared at the door. It opened slowly and a tall, plump, beautiful woman stepped in. She had long blond hair and a round face that was hard.
She wore a long white coat and seemed a bit twitchy.
window. She ignored Pooch’s barks and stared out the window. Abby called for Pooch and she raced to the bed. Pooch jumped onto it and growled. Abby soothed her as she rubbed her belly. Pooch quickly fell asleep growling.
Abby narrowed her eyes at the unknown woman and leaned across her legs. She glanced down at the wrap around her leg then up at the woman again. The woman slowly turned towards her but not all of the way. Her face was expressionless almost like the way Ava would stare at her.
“My name is Hadley. Some call me Doctor Hadley. Even though that is not what I am.” She started as she spoke with a monotone voice, “I was one of the Scientists who created Scarlet.”
Hadley stared at her waiting for Abby to react. Abby did not. She simply put her color down and leaned back on the headboard of her bed. Abby tilted her head and sighed. Hadley shut her eyes then breathed deeply. She looked out the window and shrugged.
“The leaders were tired of people getting sick and dying. Tired of people wasting resources. Tired of people complaining but not doing anything about the things they hated. Tired of
spoke with a mighty tone and yet she almost sounded bored. She looked over at Abby to make sure she was listening then continued. “The great leaders agreed something must be done. We needed to save our world from ourselves. I am sure you saw on the news
population was getting worse. They decided the only way to save Earth was too get rid of those who served no purpose.” Hadley leaned against the window as if she were bored but
could sense coming from Hadley. Abby gazed down at Pooch who was snoring now.
“It was easy. No one noticed a few dozen villages dying. No one cared. Even if they did they only cared until the next big thing on the news came up. Then they forgot about the hundreds of people who died from a strange new illness. We started in small villages and towns. China needed some of its districts cleaned.
forgotten as they built their greenhouses.” Hadley looked at her badly painted blue nails and frowned, “Everything was going well. We were getting rid of what served the world no purpose and creating more food. Helping animals have a chance to live. It was working.”
Abby looked up with her eyes lowered and mouth shut hard. Hadley looked into her eyes and she grimaced.
“They weren’t happy with the results.” She said sharply,
enough. They needed something more.” Hadley touched the
Hadley walked over to the bed and then suddenly sat down. Pooch woke from the movement and growled. Abby pulled the little dog close and pressed her lips together. Hadley pulled a strand of hair behind her small ears.
“Everyone agreed but me and my partner, the two that created Scarlet. I understood the world was growing small around
progress but after a few years it would be better. They wanted progress now. People were having babies as fast as we were cleansing the world.”
rolled her eyes. She seemed bored and upset all at the same time. Suddenly her tension changed and Abby noticed goosebumps on her skin.
“I told Ava it was a horrible idea. We were barely controlling Scarlet with its trigger. Barely keeping it from leaping from its isolated areas. We had no idea what it could do. And they asked us to turn it into some weapon. They did not even care what the risks were. They thought we could just change Scarlet and when
Hadley cupped her hands as she said, “We played God enough. This was too far. I knew what Scarlet could do. What if we did something wrong?”
Hadley shrugged as she looked back at the window, “I and my partner decided we were not going to sterilize the world. It was too much. We agreed to something else but we could not do that. The cost was too high. We took the main sample of Scarlet and were going to hide it in an independent lab.” She stood up
they changed their minds. We would not help anymore.” Hadley paused and the room became very silent except for
Pooch’s snorts. Abby looked at Pooch then back at Hadley and
licked her lips. They tasted like cherry. They had given her dozens
had never felt better.
“Something went wrong clearly,” Abby sighed. “Yes,” Hadley turned to her, “Someone betrayed us.
Something happened.”
“Then the Undead happened.” Abby said.
Hadley shook her head, “Without the trigger Scarlet was
until the birds started dying. The kids started getting very sick. to live. But, I was not there to tell them just how bad it was. I tried to warn Ava but she did not listen.”
Abby pressed her lips together then said, “The Liquidations
“Yes,” Hadley nodded, “It wanted to survive and it did. You see it can communicate somehow. Somehow, we created life,” Hadley looked at her hands with a weary stare.
“I never expected it to spread so quickly though.” She added.
“And the Husk came from Scarlet trying not to die again.” Abby said lowering her eyes. Hadley looked up at her and narrowed her own eyes. She looked down at Abby from her nose and smiled. Hadley nodded.
“Yes.” Hadley replied, “We thought it would kill all of the Undead. It was working until Scarlet decided not to die again.”
Hadley closed her eyes for a long time and when she opened them there was a new strength in them.
“We will stop it. I will reverse this. Fix our mistake. I will stop Scarlet once and for all.”
“Why?” Abby hurried and said, “Just let it be. Clearly it will do anything to live. What happens the next time it mutates? What if it gets so smart that we can’t even tell someone is infected until they slit our throats?”
Hadley stared at her with hollow eyes. She slowly walked towards her and then sat down again. Hadley did not look away. She tilted her head and smiled softly.
Abby felt her bite wounds burning.
children. It split you see. It is alive in you. It mutated to live. It lives inside you. Keeping you alive every time you are harmed so it does not die.” Hadley said with a matter of fact tone, “You were bitten and infected with the other mutated virus but the immune, just lucky.”
Hadley shrugged again as she continued, “They call your kind infected because you have been bitten. But, if they really knew what you were. What was alive inside of you. I am sure they would burn you.”
Abby twitched and Pooch growled again.
Hadley stood.
“We will not let that happen. As far as everyone knows
you’re just infected because you were bit but did not turn. Because you are immune.” Hadley said with a shrug. “I don’t know what the Scarlet’s end goals are with you and others like you but I don�
��t think it will turn malicious.”
Hadley started towards the door and Abby shook her head as she looked up.
“So, maybe whatever the hell is in my blood is good. But, what is out there,” Abby pointed at the window, “What is in the Undead and now the Husk clearly is evil. And will get worse if you try to kill it again. Just let it be. There is nothing wrong with accepting defeat. The Undead are dying and the Husk are rotting. They’ll all be dead someday. We should just focus on protecting
go.” Hadley looked back at her blankly then frowned.
quietly. The determination in her eyes made Abby’s skin crawl.
back up. Hadley reached for the door and opened it. Before she
Hadley looked at her and smiled as she walked out. After lunch Abby wandered around her room tossing a ball back and forth in her hands. Her body still ached but she felt healthier. Her mind swirled with sadness and then sometimes she felt nothing at all. One question was on her mind hourly. Why was she still alive? She felt like all that she had been through she should be dead.
Abby stared out of the window at the melting snow and sneered. She knew she needed to be more grateful and happy. Being alive was wonderful but knowing those she loved were lost haunted her. Abby looked down at little Pooch who was chewing on a toy and smiled. She felt joy when she looked into those little eyes.
The door opened suddenly and a Marine stepped in smiling. Abby smooshed her face and turned away. He had something in his hands and nodded his head at her.
“Sorry ma’am,” He started, “I was told to give this to you when you were well.”
Abby stared at him then looked at what was in his hand. It looked like a piece of paper.
“What is it?” She asked.
“A note from a friend I was told.” He replied.
The Amour series (Book 2): The Ashes of Amour Page 19