“Trial? What do you mean trial?” I asked.
“We made rules when we got here, and she broke one. If a member here attacks another member, they are put into the pit until we all come together to give them a fair trial. We have to live together and work together, and although arguments and disagreements happen, it’s never an excuse to put your hands on one another. So now we have to decide whether she should stay here, or if she has to leave, and never return.” Ian said.
“I don’t want her kicked out. What if one of those Infected get her? We can’t do that, no matter what she did. That’s practically a death sentence.”
Ian shook his head, his expression intensifying. I didn’t have to have a “gift” to know he was getting pissed. “You don’t care that she could have killed you?” His tone filled with anger as he remembered what she did to me.
“But she didn’t. There has to be some other way to punish her, but you can’t just send her out there alone, especially if this is all she’s known since the Flash. I pleaded for him to understand.
“I don’t care. I’m speaking against her. This cannot happen to anyone. If her hatred for you can cause her to do what she did, then she doesn’t belong here. What if she does it to someone else? There is no excuse for how she handled her jealousy, period.” Ian crawled up from the mattress, the discussion closed for him. “You already eat?” He asked James, as he threw on a shirt.
“Yep. That’s where I ran into Uncle Dane.” He leaned against the wall and watched us get up and get ready.
“How do you feel? Do you want me to carry you?” Ian moved as if he was going to scoop me up no matter what my reply.
“I got it. I’m going to need to move around if I want to loosen up.”
I stood slowly, stretching my sore muscles and pinched ribs, trying to find my equilibrium. Ian’s hand was at my side in case I needed support. Other than being sore, I could walk fine.
“Where’s Azami? I don’t care how I look. I need to see my baby.”
“She stays with Jen sometimes, but she’s with me and the group most of the time. We’ve all been taking care of her, really. She misses you. Are you going to see her today?”
“Definitely,” I smiled, excited, before realization hit me. “She won’t be at this meeting will she? I don’t want to expose her to this.”
“No. All the kids stay with one of the teachers. She’ll be fine. We’ll go and get her when we’re finished.” Ian said, sliding his fingers into mine.
We made our way down the tunnel that led to the poolroom at a slugs pace. We turned left about halfway down, into the black hole. I squeezed Ian’s arm as we immersed ourselves in the darkness.
“I thought you said you didn’t use this tunnel unless you were storing things.” James was on my other side holding my hand, reassuring himself as much as he was comforting me.
“We do store things down here. This is where the pit is located, as well as our conference area. We hold all our meetings here.” Ian explained.
Finally we entered a large, dimly lit cavern. People had carried in torches to light the area. We were the last to arrive, which drew every eye to us as we entered the cavern.
Becky was sitting on a rock a few paces away from Dane, a worried expression resting on her face. She looked like a scared little girl as she waited for her future to be decided. All that changed when she noticed Ian and I walk in, hand in hand. Her eyes changed from troubled to pissed, turning nearly black, reminding me of the Infected that came at us the day we were leaving the tree, and the ones who tore that poor dog to pieces. She looked lost in her hate.
“Alright everyone, listen up.” Dane ordered, gesturing for people to pay attention. After everyone was focused on Dane, he began, “We all know the rules, and we all know why we follow them. Do you recall what happened last time people broke the rules?” He looked down at Becky unpleasantly. “I wouldn’t want that to happen again.” He cleared his throat. “Does anyone want to speak on this matter?”
I began to raise my hand, but Ian pulled it back down and stood up. “I think she needs to leave. This kind of violence should not be accepted. If we let her stay, people will think that type of behavior would be tolerated. She’s a loose cannon, even causing the last incident that happened. Whether she intended to hurt her before she did it doesn’t matter because she acted on her jealousy of Lillie and nearly killed her. What if Azami was with her? Anyone who can unleash that kind of rage on someone just because they don’t like them does not belong here. She couldn’t control herself and I won’t sit back and watch it happen again. I want her gone.” Ian was shaking with his own rage as he spoke his mind, but his voice stayed calm and never wavered.
“Thank you, Ian. Anyone else?” Dane asked, looking around at the group. I noticed that their Aunt stood a few paces behind him, surveying the area and the people in it.
Mason stood. I hadn’t spent much time with him, unless I was with Jen and Michael. Mason was usually with them. “I agree with Ian. The last incident that happened involved Becky too. She lets her emotions take over without thinking about her actions first, and she just keeps escalating.” He glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes. “She’s made life for Ian ridiculously hard. She cheated, he broke it off, but she won’t let him go. She stalks him every chance she gets.” Becky had the decency to look ashamed. “Now she’s going after Lillie. Is it going to stop there? She could have killed her.” His voice ended in a growl.
I wanted more detail about her stalking Ian, and the last incident that everyone is referring to. Regarding James, I knew by the annoyed expressions running across his face, he felt the same way.
“Thank you, Mason. However, the last event was more on a… how should I say this? Physical aspect.” He grinned. “And a personal affair. Not the type of actions I would deem fit for banishment. These are much different circumstances.” The look on Ian’s face was plain-as-day-pissed-off. Dane continues, “Anyone else?”
No one stood.
No one else wanted Becky exiled after what she’d done to me? My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. Even though I myself didn’t want her kicked out, I couldn’t help but feel unwelcome. I thought I’d been accepted, a part of this new family, or at the least, part of their community. I was the outsider. They would rather keep her, someone who could have killed me, than show me any justice for what was done to me. Then again, not even I was willing to send her out into the hunting grounds of the new breed of Infected.
Dane’s voice brought me back from my pity party. “I know the events that occurred were bad, extremely bad.” He glared down at Becky again, and then back at his wife, who nodded for him to continue, “But to send someone out with the new Infected running around is purely cruel; almost murder itself. So as of now, Becky stays.”
Dane barely finished announcing his decision before Ian snarled, “You cannot be serious! Do you see her face?” He pointed at me, putting me on display. “You saw her ribs. Now picture five times worse, because bruises grow, you know. She needs to leave!” He demanded, now turning his burning stare to Becky.
Dane looked as if he was thinking about Ian’s words, knowing they held merit. “What do you think, Lillie?” He asked, suddenly.
The heat of everyone’s gazes fell on me. The weight of their stares caused warmth to rise up my neck and into my cheeks. Ian’s eyes flared with anger. He could read my emotions and he knew exactly what I would say. “No. No, I don’t think she should go out there. It’s too dangerous.” My voice was low, it barely carried over the group.
Ian protested immediately. “Uncle, you can’t listen to her. She wouldn’t hurt anyone and all of you have just shown her how much more Becky belongs here than her. You all disgust me right now.” Ian shot a look of hatred at Becky.
She cringed away when she met his glare. “I didn’t mean it.” She murmured.
Everyone’s attention goes to Becky. “What did you say?” Dane asked, “We should hear your side of things.”
>
The silence in the air grew thick as we all waited to hear what she had to say for herself. “I didn’t mean to.” She finally repeated. She attempted to look at Ian, but all she got from him was his glacial glare. “I get so confused sometimes. I know we’re over,” She looked back at Ian. “But I can’t help the overwhelming anger I get when I see you two together. It’s like this rage takes over. I can’t control it.”
Dane asks, “So when you attacked her, you just had a sudden urge that forced you?” The words were a growl. That excuse was not good enough for him.
Becky read the disgust on his face, “Yeah, something like that.” She finished and remained quiet, ending her self-defense.
Realizing Becky was finished, Dane picked up where he left off. “Ian, Lillie can make up her own mind and if she says she doesn’t want her out there, well then, that just shows that she’s a better person than Becky. I am going to listen to her.” He told him sternly, ending the conversation with the tone of his voice. “You will be monitored, Becky. Anymore outbursts from you will immediately qualify you for banishment. You will spend three days in your room, with no visitors, since the pit is no longer available. After that, you will pull extra chore duty for six months. Understood?”
Becky nodded.
“Now, about this Infected that ended up out in the middle of the forest.” He continued, closing the conversation about Becky indefinitely. “It seems either there are more than we first assessed, or their food source is dwindling and they are being forced to spread beyond their normal eating grounds.”
I spoke then. “When James and I were still out there, the ones we encountered seemed desperate. We watched them try and get into cans of food, and they couldn’t figure it out. It’s as if their basic motor functions were gone and they’ve reverted to primal creatures. They hunted like they were a wild pack of wolves.”
Dane listened to me and was in thought when someone else shouted. “We should just kill the thing and get it out of here.” I looked to see Jeff speaking up, and I actually agreed. I didn’t want that thing close to Azami, or the rest of us for that matter, but what if…
“We should keep it.” I said.
Everyone looked at me with shock, mouths going slack.
“Not like a pet or anything. I mean study it. We could figure out how long they live without food. Test it. Find out how smart they are, how far they’ve fallen from the human race.” We needed to know something about them if we were going to fight against them. Know your enemies weakness. I’m sure a great somebody once said that. It sounded good at least.
Dane was smiling. “I like how you think, Lillie. Yes. We’ll keep it for study.” The tone of his last words concluded the discussion of the Infected. “Does anyone have anything else they would like to add?” He waited for a moment. “Alright then, meeting adjourned.”
Ian’s face was furious as he stalked over to where Dane was standing, waiting for a chance to argue with him again. After the meeting, most everyone left the cavern and headed back down the steep tunnel. James scooted over to me and slung an arm around my waist, leaning his head on my shoulder.
“You know, she almost deserves to be put outside. She shouldn’t have hurt you like that.” He said.
“James, I don’t want you to talk like that. No one deserves that. You remember the dog?” James paused, his eyes going somewhere else for a moment.
“Maybe your right, but if she does anything else, she needs to go.” He said, matter of fact.
“Agreed.”
Ian returned after going to Dane. “He’s sticking to his decision.” He was shaking his head, his voice harsh. “I can’t believe you want her to stay.”
I remained silent. I didn’t want to argue.
He sighed loudly and kneeled down in front of me. “I just want you and Azami safe. I couldn’t bear it if anything else happened to either one of you.” He kissed my temple, letting his lips linger for a moment.
I leaned into him while noticing a few people staring at us.
“Can we go and look at the Infected?” James’s excited voice broke us apart.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. You heard what Dane just said.” I told him.
“Why not? I can see him anyway.” He said, shrugging his shoulders and tapping the side of his head.
Ian looked at me. “He has a point.” Give them a stick and they’d probably start poking at it.
I rolled my eyes, already knowing I was going to lose this battle. “Fine.” I tossed my hands up, a disgruntled parent giving up on her stubborn child. “I want to go get Azami when we’re done. I’m dying to see her.” I missed my angel more than anything.
Smiling, Ian stood to help me up. “I couldn’t agree more.” The excitement on his face was now for an entirely different reason. He wanted to see her just as much as I did.
We walked down the hall and entered a dark corridor of to the right. This system was a lot more complex than I first expected. We received the tour, but it’s obvious that we were only shown the basics. The turn was completely hidden in the darkness, tucked into the corner of two walls. I wondered who the first person to venture in was, brave as all get out. I would never have set foot in a pitch-black cave.
We could hear the Infected growling like a cornered animal before we saw it. The echoes of snarls reverberated off the walls. The sound sent chills throughout my body, goose bumps rising on my skin. Ian hugged me tighter to his side.
“You alright?” I asked James.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“Okay.” I said.
We continued down the tunnel a few more yards and the room began to brighten. The light was dim, coming from two solar lanterns that sat opposite of one another, lighting up the small space. Mason and Michael were sitting on a rock, talking to each other when they noticed us enter.
“What are you guys doing here?” Mason asked, hopping off the rock and strolling over to us. His voice was loud so we could hear it over the howling in the black hole.
“We wanted to see the Infected.” Ian said, flicking his head toward the pit.
“Are you sure bringing them here is a good idea?” Mason looked over his shoulders at the Infected and then at me.
“They’ve seen them before. There’s no reason they can’t be here.”
Mason nodded and stepped aside, continuing to talk. “It seems to be getting smarter.” Mason started telling Ian. “He seems to be problem solving, trying to find a way out. But of course, there is no way out.” He finished with a smile, reassuring me.
“Do we know when he ate last?” Ian asked.
“They were eating a coyote yesterday that still had quite a bit of meat on it before we ambushed him, but before that, I couldn’t say.” Mason answered.
Michael walked over to the edge and stood next to his brother, as we all looked down in the pit of horrors.
I clung to Ian’s shirt, afraid to fall in the hole with the Infected as I peered over the edge. The creature looked up at us as we stood over its prison. The noise became even more terrible as he started shrieking up at us. It began clawing at the side of the rock, its fingernails all but gone, but he was still tearing at the wall with bloody stumps as the bones were protruding from their tips. Blood streaks painted the wall in front of it, like nightmarish cave drawings of a psychopath. Skin hung loose and baggy, drooping down from its eye sockets, as if melting off its face. Its eyeballs, bulging yellow, looked like they were popping out of its head. The skin was a pale blue-grey and pockets of missing flesh revealed its jawbone.
I flinched after soaking in its appearance. I stumbled back on the rocky cave floor, gasping. Mason caught me before I could fall.
“Are you alright?” he asked, pulling me against him to stop my fall.
“Yes.” I managed to calm my heart rate. “He looks different than the ones we saw. The ones we encountered were healthier. He looks like he’s going to die soon.”
Ian was on my other side, looking deep in
thought, thinking about what I said, then he turned to Mason. “Maybe we should see how long it takes it to die. Don’t feed it.”
Mason and Michael nodded together.
Everyone stood quietly staring down in the black hole again.
“I’m ready to go.” I said. Creepy crawlies were making their way up and down my spine. I was more than ready to see my babies face instead of this thing.
“Of course,” Ian said, turning me away from the hole and back down the tunnel. “It should be close to lunch time. Are you hungry?” I let out a dry laugh to his question.
“Oh sorry. Probably not after that. We’ll go get Azami and take her for lunch then.”
“That sounds great.”
We headed down to where they kept the kid’s during meetings with one of the teachers. She taught the kids basic skills; ABC’s, counting, and for the older ones, they were taught survival skills. James was currently taking the survival skills class and was learning to make things out of the vegetation, learning what plants were edible, and how to start a fire.
When Azami saw me walk into the room, her eyes rounded like little sky-blue saucers. I missed her so much. That was just another thing that Becky had done. She took my time away with my daughter.
She ran over to me and I swooped her up in my arms, hugging her tightly against my chest. The action was painful, but completely worth it. A lump formed in my throat as she said, “Mama, I missed you.” She leaned away and patted my cheek, noticing the bruises. “You have a awie. What happen?”
I opened my mouth to give her an excuse, but Ian beat me to it, “Your silly mommy.” He laughed, smiling at her, “She fell down on some big rocks and look what she did to herself. I think we should tell mommy to be more careful.” His blues, so much like his daughters, were lit up as he spoke to his daughter for the first time without worry.
“Mommy!” Azami squealed. “You shouldn’t wun. You wiwl trip and fawl.” She repeats words that I have scolder her for myself on several occasions.
Flash Series (Book 1): Infected Page 11