The Infected: Ripped to Shreds (Book 1): Hush

by Power, P. S.

  So she stuck out her tongue.

  "Um, Bridget? You forgot the provisions for later. We need to get some food? I have some, but it isn't prepared yet."

  That got a smile, and bustling, which took a lot less for the tiny one than it would have for her to do the same thing. There was a trunk full of food too, not just a big platter. Still, being watched by several camera people at a distance, they managed to get out of there after about ten more minutes.

  Bridget looked over her shoulder, twisting around obviously, the seat belt on, being over her throat, but not stopping her from doing it.

  "Bogeys to our six. Possibly more attackers. I'm going to bail and go see if they shoot rockets at me. That was fun. I remembered not to breathe the flames in this time." It sounded like a joke, but it had happened to her several times before, and she really had done that.

  It also hurt her to do that. She wasn't armored inside, though she healed so fast that it nearly didn't matter, most of the time.

  Cindy smiled and shook her head.

  "Channel six. Not terrorists that I know of. We could try to lose them, but my bet is they know my address by now."

  Bridget snapped her fingers, and gave her a grin that seemed to be suddenly pleased.

  "I forgot about your nifty powers. That is handy. Plus you aren't going to narc me out to the feds if you find out I want to get laid or go to a party. At the base we get Christian. She's not evil, but she will sell you out to the man if she catches on to anything good. Or in your case bad. She won't care that much if you want to smoke pot, but, you know, she can't help it. You can hide from her a little bit though if you don't think about anything. I can do that now."

  Looking at the road, Cin nodded.

  "I know. That was kind of impressive earlier. Your book, you know how I see your info? It just said meditation on your main page. That wouldn't stop me from searching for things, but yeah, I can't think of anything that would get me to do that. Tell? I really don't care if you want to do drugs or get busy with a few dozen guys. Or horses. Whatever floats your boat." She deadpanned it, and Bridget nodded somberly.

  "Not that I love horses that much. I never really saw that one. You know, wanting a pony and all that? I was always too busy to take care of one, and... Not that reliable as a kid. I would have probably let a dog starve or get lost. I might handle it now, but back then? Nope." She was watching out the window, her eyes searching for any sign of danger, constantly. Doing her job with near total discipline.

  "Yeah. I can see that. The whole impulse thing, right? You kind of have to watch that all the time, don't you?" Like she did now, even though she didn't want to.

  The girl gave a single, slow, nod.

  "I really just want to have fun. I can't help it if a lot of fun things don't seem right to everyone else all the time. I mean, I don't see a pile of poop and think that I have to shove it in my face."

  Cindy wrinkled her nose, knowing she was supposed to do something like that more or less.

  "At least there's that! That sounds gross. I say stick to pie. We have plenty."

  She turned around and stared out the back, seeing the news crew again, most likely. It was too hard to drive and do that at the same time, so she didn't know for certain. As they pulled into the driveway, she hoped out, with the car stopped, meaning that Bridget was out too, instantly. Watching the world in every direction.

  Spinning, slowly so she could see what was there, the super powered girl was acting like a real IPB operative. The way that she'd been trained, her entire life. Not knowing the plan, Bridget held her ground, waiting to pick up the cues she needed to follow from the driver, who, to her mind, was in charge of this part of things.

  Cindy smiled.

  "I need to open the garage door. One second?" She just went in, and wondered what would have happened if she had a back exit to the place. Trying to get out the window wouldn't have worked for her. That would require breaking the glass, which would make a whole lot of noise. The best idea then would be to open the thing, and not take too long getting it done, so she hurried.

  That got Bridget to hold her hand out for the keys, so she could park it, leaving Cin to stand by the door and get it closed rapidly. Just in case anyone was coming for them. It was cute, so she tossed her car keys to the kid, who was shocked that she got them without having to beg. On the great side, she had a real license and everything, and was actually a decent driver. It was a new thing for her, only about nine months old now. Like a baby. Only different.

  The whole thing worked as if they'd practiced it, the instructions being given to her pretty clearly. They still had to walk outside, carrying things since it was a detached garage. Ideally they would have split the load evenly, but it was going to take more than one trip to get it all done, no matter how they did it. Since one of them had the ability to beat up small, or not so small, tank battalions, and the other could read stuff, the correct thing to do would actually be her, Cindy, doing all of the heavy lifting, and the girl to stand outside, ready to protect them.

  Not that they were being attacked right then. Bridget knew that and felt fidgety about the whole thing. She didn't want to seem lazy, but it really was the best plan, given that they didn't know what might be happening later. She struggled to figure out how to say it all, feeling odd suddenly.

  Like a bully, for suggesting they just do what made sense tactically.

  Cindy shrugged.

  "I'll get the car unloaded, you stand watch? Maybe get behind the bushes there, so no one can easily see you?" It had been in her head, if near the back, which got her to sigh.

  She didn't want to get her clothing all messed up, because it was some of her nicer things, but it really was the smart move.

  "Yeah. Let's do that. Give me ten seconds to get in place, and call out when you're just before the last load. Then I'll dash over and help carry that in. Ready?" It was both boring and more fun to do it that way than the normal fashion.

  Once inside she started to search her house, the caution bug catching her. No one was there, of course. Not even Blackie the cat, since she lived outside. Nodding to herself Cin was glad of that. The kitten already had a second home, so she wouldn't be lost without her secondary human buddy being around.

  There was no one there, naturally. It was just the same little place that she'd rented for three years. It was tidy enough, and not that full of stuff. The way that she'd left it.

  Her entire life had been pushed toward being really good at two things. Books and killing. The rest was all about that, in some way or the other.

  She just worked until the food was in, or almost, then called out, softly. Really it was just above a whisper, but her new friend got the picture.

  "All right, last load. I'll take it out and have it ready for you to grab in three... Two..." She spun, the four pies, in four large containers, being removed just when one would have been reached, allowing her to slam the trunk and reach into her car and grab the go bag the girl had brought. Then she actually jogged in. Hurrying for no real reason.

  Once inside, Bridget dashed around, checking all the doors and the rooms, for the same reason that she had. It didn't hurt, and again, they were both supposed to do it, each time they went in anyplace they were going to do more than move through. Even then, they needed to do it if they could. The only exception came when they had people on site ahead of time, to protect the zone.

  When they were done, the kid bobbled a bit, standing in place. If anyone could move that much and stay in place.

  The girl looked around then, and didn't seem to be put out by the spare furnishings. In fact she just lit on the television and waved to it.

  "Do you have cable?"

  Cin nodded, since that was a normal kind of question really.

  "Just the basic package. Mainly for news and that kind of thing. None of the premium channels."

  She shrugged.

  "I watch about the same thing. You'll want to get the number for the company thou
gh, so you can cancel. Otherwise they'll keep trying to charge you. Phone too. Electric... We should get a list going. Then we can see how bad we look on the news. I hate the stuff myself, to be honest." She popped the top of one of the containers that had blueberry pie in it, pulled a slice and started to munch on it. Between bites she explained, even though Cindy already had read it all. "It's hard to love hearing about how evil you are all the time. I know, boo-hoo, my life is so hard, but it still... Stings?" The question was simply about the idea that the red headed pixie didn't know what things really felt like. It took her work to describe things like that.

  Cin nodded, and gave a sympathetic expression, not really caring about it all. Cindy knew it would be hard for most people, even if she didn't think it would influence her own thinking that much. She was the different one though, and Bridget was more regular that way. Luckily. If Impulse was her, then a whole lot of people probably would have died. A whole lot more than had.

  That most people thought the girl was a monster had to do with what she'd done, not, it seemed, what she really was inside. That seemed to be a kid that honestly wanted to do the right thing, all the time, even at the cost of her own youth, and happiness.

  Worse, the people in her life, her parents, Brian and Rachel, all kind of seemed to forget about that idea. Bridget was only sixteen, and yet she'd been put out on the front lines of a war, and allowed to kill, simply due to her own powers. Even that very day, they'd let her go off with a known serial killer, as a guard of sorts, instead of locking Cindy in a room at Lyn's and doing the job themselves. It was great, and comforting... To Cin. A stranger that they had every reason in the world not to trust.

  They weren't even trying to be neglectful or anything. They wanted to be good, and tried to be parents and grandparents to the girl. They just sucked at it. They were a bunch of heroes, and it was far too easy for them to look at the situation and see little Bridget as one of them as well. Because her powers kind of forced her to be. She was raised to be one, and trained that way since she was a little kid.

  Even stuffing blueberry pie in her gob at the moment, looking about fourteen, at most, she was still watching everything closely. Ready to fight if she had too. Ready, at need, to kill Cindy, if that was what the job required of her, even as she thought of the new woman as being a potential friend.

  There was a constant stream in her head, or above it, that was analyzing the whole thing carefully. Alongside a list that suggested they get Cin's life in order, to impress the people back at the base. Cancel the phone, the computer service, the power and so on.

  Cindy wrote things down and then shrugged, not hiding what she was doing, reading the ideas from the air.

  "The power and water aren't in my name. I rent. I need to go collect that stuff. Why don't you watch the news while I get my notebook? It has all my info in it, which will make it easier." She half expected the girl was going to come with her. Everywhere.

  Instead there was a cute nod.

  "Good plan. Organized, too. I'll just eat this pie, and let you get to that. Then we can help you pack up? You'll want some stuff. You won't really be allowed to go anywhere for a while, but there are some things to do on the base and you won't be in uniform all the time."

  That got her to stop and make a face.

  "Uniform? Like fatigues?" Cindy shuddered a bit, as Bridget grinned at her.

  The cute kid took a bite and danced in place a little.

  "Even if you work in the office. At least you already know how to fight. Kill, too. That means you won't go into shock when you have to work out each day too. You said Hobbs was going to work with you too? So you'd probably be with me and Denis, Tobin, too. Really, that gives us kind of a little team, doesn't it? Cool. They're all nice. Not like me, or you." There was darkness in her eyes and words. Then a searching of Cin's face.

  That she wasn't a good person was kind of a known thing, being a serial killer, but Bridget's tale told of a bit of self hate forming, which got Cindy to shake her head.

  "Wait right there. Yeah, I'm kind of evil. I won't even hide that from you. I am what I am. You on the other hand are sweet. Good, and professional, too. You killed, but you also had to. If someone hadn't gotten things to calm down we'd still be facing destruction right now. Most can see that. I mean, yeah, people are afraid of you now, but that's their fault, after a fashion. If regular people would have gotten out and done it, stopped the fighting, protested the violence themselves, then they wouldn't have needed you to do it. In a way, that part is what a lot of them really fear. Not that Impulse will come and get them in the night, but that they could have at least tried to do something, and didn't." Cindy shook her head, her short blonde hair moving a tiny bit. "No, they forced a little girl to stand up for them instead. That's what they really dislike. Their own cowardice."

  Bridget wasn't a fool, or that innocent really. She sighed and shook her head.

  "So that explains what, one out of a hundred? Most just think I want to hurt them. That's what they say. I hear it all the time, and have for months."

  "Sure, they run their mouths online, and shit post, but that's deflection, not the truth. I mean, yes, some of the bad people have a good reason to think of you, and Proxy, that way. I kind of knew that if I was ever taken down it might be you two, myself. People like me don't go online and talk about it either, since that would give you guys a way to find me. No, the people running their faces are the ones that know they should have stepped up, but didn't, out of fear. Not that they didn't have a reason to be afraid. Those losers would have died if they'd tried it. Still, a lot of them are going to feel that way. That they, the big strong men, the loudmouthed feminists, the church going believers... They, and not a kid, should have been in the front of the things, calling for peace and fighting the threats."

  It didn't really seem to be helping Bridget to feel better, her words. That was because the girl was smarter than that. Oh, the whole thing was kind of right, too. After all, most people were pretty unrealistic that way. Bridget had been the right one to send out front like that, given her powers, but she also shouldn't have been there at all. Ever. Not given her age.

  So the good people wanted to find some reason that they hadn't done the same thing. That ended up being her Infection. Her powers, which made her able to do what no one else could. If they stopped there, it would have been fine.

  Cindy turned and walked to her bedroom, getting into her little black case, the one that looked like an accordion on the sides, and was made of black plastic for the rest of it. All of her forms were inside. It really was organized, since that made her life easier, in the end. It was a big part of her life, being able to get at facts using computers and various research aids.

  Jogging back, not wanting to leave the girl alone for too long, given the topic, Cindy kept thinking about the situation.

  Those people, the basically good ones in the world, needed to find a way to live with themselves, so they turned their savior into a boogey-man. Rather than just admit that she was strong, and willing to take the hit for them. That this little girl would have literally gone and fought the biggest dangers in the world for any of them, even if they were unpleasant or hated her, was lost on them all. That she would have tried even if she'd been a regular girl was too.

  Cin didn't keep talking about that, since the T.V. was on. It was the news, and was actually playing Brian, talking about the would be coup.

  Then the news casters started talking about the thing in a way that had nothing to do with the real problem.

  There was a sour faced man, who grinned under his horrible expression. His hair was done well, looking silver and slick. He was dressed nicely, and made up too. It didn't make him seem nice however.

  "Mr. Yi, once again stealing the headlines. Notice how he managed to do this on Thanksgiving? Once again trying to claim that the Infected are some kind of perfect and untouchable class. All their problems are the fault of normal people. We've heard that from him before,
haven't we?" He seemed pretty certain and smug about that part, but the blonde woman next to him sneered right back, and sounded like she was about to rip the man a new orifice over the whole thing.

  "Did you not listen to what he said? There are murder plots, and an attempt to subvert part of the Federal government. What part of that is self-serving? I think your bigotry is showing again, Bill."

  That didn't go over well. In fact it started an argument that looked like it was about to come to blows, to tell the truth.

  Cindy pointed at the screen, and shook her head.

  "Wow. Here I thought I was the unreasonable one. That's not normal, is it?" She'd never seen anything like it herself really.

  Impulse stood up, moving fast, and tapped the screen, standing to the side.

  "Bill Coleville. He used to be a friend of several of the hate movement leaders. Got inside information from them to help his career advance. The lady here is... Well, she was having an affair with my dad, before he learned not to be that dumb all the time. There was a thing and Brian had to save her. From my dad. He'd kind of lost it, due to his first mode. So this is about right. Bill wants to take down the people that slowed down his career, and Carol wants to protect the man that saved her life."

  The whole thing suddenly came into focus, and she started to read not only Bridget, but, after a bit, tried to get the people on the screen. They were live after all, and while there was a time delay, the words came into focus.

  It was different than what it seemed like on the screen yet again.

  The woman was terrified, for all she seemed ready to throw down. Her job might well be on the line for doing what she was in the moment. The sour man was on rocky ground as well. Their co-host, a quiet man in the middle, wasn't in on either side, and was actually the one person there that was sensible most of the time. He wasn't talking enough, and had to get in on things, or else his boss was going to wonder why he was there at all. Not that his job had been threatened directly, but if his friends here went down, so did he.