by Louise Voss
‘What?’ Kate stopped mid-sentence at the expression on Lucy’s face.
Lucy raised a shaking hand and pointed at her. ‘You? If you hadn’t brought your DUMB boyfriend over here and then LEFT HIM to go to some DUMB lab so that all he had to do was come into my mom’s life and flirt with her and put us both in danger by getting some CRAZY woman with a knife who threatened to cut off my tits and kidnapped us so Mom caught the flu and now she’s dead and it’s ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU BITCH!’
Her voice raised in pitch, higher and higher, until she was screaming the words out. She flew down the metal steps of the Airstream and flung herself at Kate, desperate to blame someone, shrieking like a banshee, trying feebly to claw at Kate’s face and hair. The man holding the little boy released him and ran across to drag Lucy away, as she continued to flail and yell. ‘I SWEAR I’M GONNA KILL YOU AND YOUR DUMBASS BOYFRIEND! YOU WAIT AND SEE! IF IT’S THE LAST THING I EVER DO, YOU’RE DEAD!’
The man was holding her tightly, pinning her arms to her sides, and she collapsed into him, her legs giving way, letting him hold her as she sobbed and sobbed.
Half an hour later Kate sat beside Jack, his head resting on her chest, in the same helicopter that had brought her from the lab. They were with an FBI escort, a young agent with grade-one hair and a jaw that could win sculpture awards.
Harley was staying behind to make sure the air ambulance turned up for Bradley, and Riley and Lucy were going to accompany them, having been given the antivirus as a precaution.
Kate still felt shaken from the confrontation with Lucy. The girl’s mother must have been the woman who answered Paul’s phone that time. And they’d ended up in the trailer pulled by the same car Jack was in? Later, after Paul had told her the whole story, Kate would figure out that Rosie must have caught Watoto-X2 in her home town, probably from someone who came into the diner. For her symptoms to have been so advanced that she died before they could help her, that had to be the case. But this poor girl wasn’t to know that.
Jack, thank God, thank everything, was showing no sign of having Watoto, although his exposure to Bradley meant there was a very high chance that the virus was there, inside him, preparing to do its deadly work.
Now she felt more anxious than ever about the effectiveness of the antivirus. She needed to get back to the lab, to carry out tests on Paul and check his progress.
The chopper lifted off, its roar deafening as they ascended above LA, the Hollywood sign clearly visible below them.
She looked down at the city, at the smoke that rose from burned-out buildings, at the empty streets, the abandoned cars. So much destruction. So much death, in such a short space of time. All because of one woman’s warped vision of a cleansed world, a vision born of her own confusion and vulnerability, and another man’s hatred and pain. When she thought about what Angelica had been through, what had caused her mind to snap, she almost felt sorry for her.
Then she thought of Junko, of Tosca, of Bradley, and of the grief and fury of a sixteen-year-old girl who had just lost her mother.
Almost sorry. But not quite.
Outside the helicopter, the sun was shining. From up here, Kate could see the ocean, as vast and beautiful as ever. Her armed escort sat opposite her, a frown etched deep in his face. She hugged Jack tighter and closed her eyes. Paul’s ashen face swam into her vision.
She felt chilly – probably from exhaustion and shock. She looked around and saw a bundle of blankets piled up beside a first-aid kit. Just the thing. She gently extricated herself from Jack’s grip and crossed the inside of the helicopter, stooping as the ceiling was too low to stand, to lift one of the blankets from the pile.
There was a sudden violent movement from under the blankets.
Angelica leapt up at her.
67
Kate jumped back – banging her head on the hard metal ceiling, her heart bursting into overdrive – as Angelica flew at her. The blonde wore a snarl of hatred. But instead of attacking Kate, she knocked her aside and launched herself at the armed agent as he tried to unfasten his belt and pull his gun. Angelica swung a fist at his hand, knocking the gun from his grasp, making it spin away beneath the seat. In one swift motion she grabbed his throat with one hand and drove her other fist down into his lap, smashing his testicles against the seat. He screamed and as he doubled over in pain she scrambled over his seat and grabbed him from behind, her forearm round his throat, squeezing until he went limp. Then she dipped quickly and grabbed the gun from beneath the seat.
She crouched on her haunches behind the seat and pointed the gun at Kate, who had instinctively thrown herself in front of Jack. He was silent, his eyes squeezed shut, like this was one incident too far. Too much for him to take.
‘Land the helicopter,’ Kate shrieked at the pilot, who was craning his neck trying to see what was going on.
‘No!’ Angelica shouted. ‘If this helicopter dips an inch I’m going to shoot you in the head.’
‘Then we’ll all die,’ Kate yelled. They were both shouting to be heard above the din of the helicopter’s blades.
Angelica shrugged. ‘I’ll be in Paradise. Sekhmet will
see to that.’
‘But …’ Kate began, then realised it was pointless trying to reason with Angelica. On the other hand, if
she could keep her talking for a few minutes, maybe she could figure out what to do. Or the agent might regain consciousness – she didn’t think he was dead, though he might never be a father, poor guy – and take Angelica by surprise.
‘Why didn’t you run off?’ Kate shouted. ‘Escape when you had the chance?’
Angelica brushed her hair from her eyes. She was so extraordinarily beautiful. She could have achieved great things. Well, no doubt she would see almost wiping out the human race as a pretty awesome achievement.
‘Because I wanted him,’ she said. To Kate’s horror, she pointed at Jack.
‘Jack? Why?’
‘Because I want you to know what it feels like, bitch. You took away everyone who loves me.’
Kate shifted slightly to the left, ensuring Jack was fully out of Angelica’s line of sight. If she was going to shoot him, she would have to shoot Kate first. Which would spoil her plan to make Kate suffer.
‘Everyone who loves you? Not everyone you love?’
Angelica stared at her uncomprehendingly.
‘You loved Diaz, didn’t you?’
‘I don’t want to talk about him with you.’
‘And what about Mangold? Your grandfather?’
‘Him? I never loved him. He betrayed Camilo. He stopped being my grandfather the moment he did that.’
‘But didn’t you look after him for years?’
Angelica glared. ‘He was useful. And, anyway, he never loved me. He was more interested in you.’
Kate thought she must have misheard in all the din. ‘Me? What are you talking about?’
‘You don’t know anything, do you? About your family, your parents?’
Kate felt herself growing colder ‘No – tell me.’
Angelica laughed. ‘I’m sick of talking. Stand aside. Let me see the boy.’
‘No!’ Behind her, she heard Jack whimper. ‘It’s OK, darling,’ she called, wishing she didn’t need to shout.
‘It’s not OK,’ Angelica sneered. ‘Come on, Kate. I’ll make it quick. He will hardly feel it.’
‘You’ll have to kill me first.’
Angelica stared at her, chewing her lower lip. ‘No, I want you to watch. I want you to see his little chest explode, his heart stop, the life leave his body. And as the son of a godless whore, he won’t be going to Paradise.’
‘You’ll have to go through me to get to him.’
Angelica looked her up down and smiled. ‘Very well.’
But first, she took hold of the unconscious agent’s head and twisted it rapidly, breaking his neck with a sickening crunch. Jack whimpered and peered out from behind Kate.
‘Close your eyes,’ she
yelled.
Angelica climbed over the back of the seat, her eyes fixed on Kate, but as she was halfway over, Kate moved forward and grabbed her, pulling her over and swinging her arms so Angelica landed on the floor. Immediately she dropped to her knees on Angelica’s back, the blonde wriggling like a landed fish in an effort to get her off. Kate went for the gun, trying to wrest it from Angelica’s grip, but the woman elbowed her in the stomach, winding her and causing her to tumble to the side.
‘Mum!’ Jack cried.
Angelica sat up and pointed the gun at Jack’s face. He screamed.
The sound electrified Kate. She aimed a punch at Angelica’s face, connecting with her nose. Blood exploded in the air between them. Angelica spat and tried to hit her over the head with the gun, but Kate ducked to one side, pitching her assailant on to her front. Kate frantically looked around for something to use as a weapon. The fire extinguisher. She shuffled across the seat towards it and managed to unclip it, but Angelica grabbed her legs and pulled her back on to the floor and crawled on top of her. Then Kate felt the tip of the gun’s barrel against the nape of her neck.
‘I’ve decided against keeping you alive to watch the boy die,’ Angelica said. ‘But be assured. I’m going to hurt him first. He’ll be screaming your name when he—’
There was a loud bang and Angelica stopped talking. Kate felt the weight on her back lessen as Angelica fell to the side.
Kate twisted free and looked up. Jack was holding
the fire extinguisher. He was panting. And Angelica lay face down on the floor, blood on the back of her head.
‘Oh, Jack,’ Kate cried, grabbing hold of her son and hugging him tightly.
‘I saved you, Mum,’ he said.
‘You did. You’re so brave, so clever.’ She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled him close.
‘Everything all right back there?’ the pilot shouted. ‘I’ve radioed for help.’
‘Yes,’ said Kate. ‘It is now. But we’re going to need an ambulance when we land, and police, and—’
A great rush of cold air filled the cabin and Kate looked up, momentarily lost.
‘Oh no.’
Angelica wasn’t dead, just stunned. She had risen and made it over to the door, which she had thrown open, so the side of the helicopter was a gaping chasm, the sound of the blades above now deafening. Angelica crawled quickly back across the floor and grabbed Jack by the ankle, pulling him towards the door. He screamed. Kate yelled. Angelica was laughing hysterically.
‘Sekhmet,’ she shouted. ‘I offer you this child, this sacrifice, so that—’
Angelica had Jack’s legs, Kate his arms, and each was pulling him. He stared into Kate’s eyes, pleading. But Angelica was stronger. Jack was being pulled closer and closer to the door and the five thousand foot drop.
She managed to pull Jack’s arm to the side, so he could grab on to one of the seat legs. ‘Hold that,’ she shouted. ‘Hold as tight as you can. I love you.’
She roared and leapt over Jack, bundling the unsuspecting Angelica against the door, her back smashing against the metal, forcing her to let go of Jack’s ankle so he could scramble away. But Angelica pushed and Kate lost her balance, rolling towards the door.
The opening gaped. Six more inches …
Angelica scooted across the floor so she could push Kate out. But the helicopter tilted suddenly to the right and Kate tipped back inside the cabin. She grabbed hold of one of the seats.
‘Roll left,’ she screamed, and the pilot obeyed, pitching hard to the left. Angelica grabbed hold of the opposite seat leg and Kate kicked out at her as hard as she could, her foot connecting with Angelica’s fingers. Angelica shouted out with pain and let go, rolling back towards the door. But the pilot – who couldn’t see what was happening – straightened the helicopter just as Angelica was about to fall through the exit.
‘No!’ Kate screamed. ‘Left again.’
The chopper pitched left, but Angelica had grabbed hold of the door handle. Her legs slipped through the gap, dangling in mid-air, but she clung on, screaming. Kate looked around her. There, wedged beneath the seat, was the gun. Kate grabbed it and cocked it.
Angelica saw.
‘No!’ she shouted. ‘Please.’
Kate raised the gun and pointed it at Angelica’s head, as steadily as she could with the wind roaring around her and the helicopter swaying, Jack crying as he clung on beside her. But all of that disappeared as she pointed the gun at Angelica’s face.
For Isaac. For Tosca. For Junko. For Simone. For Rosie. For all of the people who had died in LA.
For herself.
‘Say hello to Sekhmet for me.’
She squeezed the trigger.
Epilogue
Kate and Jack stood in the Departures lounge of LAX, Kate holding tightly on to her son’s hand tightly. For once, he didn’t try to wriggle away. He had been subdued ever since the big scene in the helicopter, unsurprisingly, but she was confident he would be OK once they got home. There were still several weeks of the school summer holidays left and she was going to make sure he had the time of his life. Whatever he wanted to do, they’d do it. Even if it meant eating at McDonald’s every day.
After all the things he’d seen, there’d be trips to a child psychologist too. They said children were adaptable, stronger than adults gave them credit for – but Jack had been through so much. He was bound to need counselling.
She peered up at the board, waiting for their gate to be announced. She couldn’t wait to get on the plane, knowing she wouldn’t be able to relax until they were back on English soil.
‘Are you OK?’ she asked Jack.
‘Mum, you’ve asked me that, like, a billion times.’
‘Sorry. I just wanted to make sure.’
He nodded and smiled up at her. ‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ He paused and looked over at a store selling CDs and video games. ‘Can I get a new game for my DS? For the flight?’
She couldn’t say no.
‘Come on then. Let’s see if they’ve got any good ones.’
While Jack browsed the shelves, Kate looked around. LAX was quiet. The airports had only reopened a short time ago, with a limited number of flights out of the country and strict medical screening of passengers. Nobody with any sign of a virus was being allowed out. Apart from that, she got the impression that the survivors of the pandemic wanted to stay at home. Los Angeles may have been deeply wounded, but its people were resilient. And they were dreamers; life’s optimists. They would recover, rebuild. Soon enough, life would return to normal.
Which was what she wanted, more than anything. Normality.
Jack found a game he couldn’t live without and hurried over to her. She paid for it, thrilled to see a smile on his face, trying not to worry about the game being too violent, and they left the shop.
Paul came out of the Gents opposite the store, spotted her and came over. She took his hands in hers. He was still fragile, but getting stronger every day. And some of the colour had returned to his face. Looking up at him now, she thought how gorgeous he was and how glad she was that he was hers.
‘I was thinking,’ she said. ‘I could really do without any excitement for a while.’
‘What about our wedding?’
‘Hmm. Well, that’s the kind of excitement I can handle. But promise me something?’
‘Anything.’
‘If you ever see Harley again, run in the opposite direction.’
Harley was back in San Francisco, helping to organise the clean-up operation. After they’d got back to Sequoia, and found that Paul was making a good recovery, Harley had started to show symptoms himself, so had been given a dose of the antivirus.
Kate kissed Paul lightly and he snaked his arms round her. She wanted to take him to bed. She whispered in his ear, ‘Can’t wait to get you home, Mr Wilson.’
‘And I can’t wait to get home, Dr Maddox.’
He reached out an arm and pulled Jack, who was busy scrutinising th
e box of his new game, into a family huddle.
‘Your mum’s a heroine, did you know that, Jack?’
‘Yeah, she’s pretty awesome.’ Jack extricated himself and rooted in his backpack for his DS.
‘For a mum,’ Kate smiled. ‘But I’m not a heroine. I was only doing what I had to do.’
‘You saved a lot of lives, Kate. Including mine.’
She was about to protest, to tell him that she could have identified the poison and its antidote straight away, if she’d spotted the satellite virus sooner. But then she thought, no. I’m not going to protest. I did it. I beat Watoto – for now. And I saved us. I saved Jack – and he saved me, too.
The treatment was being produced and distributed at a rate that the CDC called ‘unprecedented’. Only a microscopic amount of the sap, and the antidote that counteracted the poison, was required for a dose, and almost every mamba rose in the world was being processed. They were calling it ‘green gold’, and Tanzania, where the plant grew most abundantly, had grown rich overnight, with the United States and other Western countries paying huge sums for the plant because they needed it now, couldn’t wait to grow it. Although there was still no vaccine to protect people from contracting the virus in the first place, anyone who tested positive was being given a dose, stopping the illness in its tracks and radically cutting the death rate.
But Watoto (the media had finally stopped referring to it as Indian flu) was still killing people, and it was still out there. Finding a vaccine, eradicating the disease once and for all – consigning it to history like smallpox – would be the next step. Kate vowed to continue her work. She would never give up, not until Watoto was wiped from the face of the planet.
TV stations worldwide had been desperate to talk to her – the woman who saved civilisation. There was talk of a Nobel Prize. But she didn’t want the attention. And she didn’t feel like celebrating.
They walked over to a row of seats and sat down, Jack flipping open his video game.