Cunningham walking behind them spouted off a question, “What did you mean you know what they’re doing?”
Ethan answered, “It doesn’t concern you.”
“He called me a puppet in their plans, so I think that it does concern me.”
With nothing to lose, Ethan began to explain to him about the Reversal Gene. Cunningham wasn’t buying the story; but he continued to listen as Andrew tried to further convince him of the evilness of The U.F.
“Listen, Cunningham is it? I was just like you, a puppet in their plan, but it doesn’t have to be this way. You can stop this before you get in too deep and can’t turn back. This right here is something you can turn back from. Do you even know why you’re marching us to our deaths,” Andrew asked.
For a moment there was just silence, neither he nor Ethan knew what was going on in Cunningham’s head at this point. Then Andrew felt Cunningham grasped his wrists, and then he leans in, and softly said, “Take me with you.” Andrew looked to Ethan for approval, and having no choice, Ethan nodded his head. With that Andrew’s hands were free, next came Ethan. Cunningham had to move quickly because of the cameras. In just a few moments; Ethan was also free.
Ethan looked to Cunningham for advice, “Well, we don’t have a plan, what do you got?”
Cunningham surveyed the situation, and then ran to the corridor to the right. He yelled, “This way!” Andrew, and Ethan followed closely behind him.
“Where are we going,” Ethan asked.
“There should be a way out just up ahead,” Cunningham reassured them.
They trusted him, since it was their only play. Just as they made it around the corner, they were stopped, and confronted by McHale and his men. “Well, well, well. What is going on here?”
The three of them take cover behind a protrusion sticking out of the wall. Cunningham tried to subside their fears by telling them the way out, “We’ve got no choice, we all go out there, then we all die. Down that hall right there, through those doors you’re going to find a couple of land-cruisers. Get in them, and drive as far away as you can. Don’t stop, and don’t look back. Save that girl, and don’t let then get to her.”
“What about you,” Ethan asked.
“I’m gonna give you cover, so once I start shooting, you’ve gotta be vapor.”
“There’s got to be another way, that doesn’t get you killed,” Andrew pleaded.
“I’m sorry, this is the only way. We reap what we sew right? Right now it’s time I make things right. On the count of three.”
“Come out now Cunningham, and your death will be quick… I promise,” McHale barked.
Cunningham began the count, “One…Two…Three! Move, move, move!” With that Cunningham came out guns blazing, catching McHale’s men off guard. Bullets flew back, and forth. One bullet hits McHale in his shoulder, and he fell to the ground. More rounds slammed into the bodies of the soldiers. Cunningham checked on Andrew, and Ethan as he hid behind the pillar, as he reloaded his weapon. He saw the two rebels just about to the doors that lead to the land-cruiser.
More shots were fired, and this time unfortunately they hit Cunningham’s body. He slouched down as he used the wall to keep himself from falling to the ground. Even though he had life threatening injuries, he never gave up. Cunningham kept firing his weapon sending bullets in their direction. While they returned fire, doing their best to end his being. He watched as Andrew and Ethan made their way through the double doors to the room where the land-cruisers were located.
Two soldiers grabbed McHale, and carried him out of the battle, and to safety. Three soldiers remained to finish off Cunningham. They cautiously approached the spot where Cunningham was sitting in a pool of his own blood. The two guards approached Cunningham who at this point was badly wounded, and slouched over. His body wasn’t showing signs of movement as the soldier poked him with his rifle.
The soldier reached for Cunningham’s shoulder, and leaned him back against the wall. Cunningham looked up with a bloody smile, and the solider looked down at his hands, and saw that he was holding a live grenade with no pin in it. Before the soldiers could turn, and run, the grenade exploded, evaporating all four of them.
As Ethan and Andrew loaded themselves into their cruiser, they heard the loud explosion of Cunningham’s grenade. They knew that this couldn’t be good, but Cunningham did as he promised to do. Ethan started the engine, and Andrew co-piloted. Ethan gave it gas, and it stormed off, crashing through the bay door. With that, they were outside, and on their way towards the farmhouse to see Jessica.
Life Long Friends
Jessica sat on the front porch with a blanket wrapped around her like a shoal. She watched as the other rebels trained, they seem to be getting better as time passed. She had been spending most of her day thinking about Jupiter, Andrew, and Ethan. Why did they save me, and get me to safety, what made me so special? I mean Andrew was a great warrior, Ethan was the leader of these guys, and Jupiter could fix anything, she pondered while she mindlessly stared out at the training rebels. Something distracted her from her excessive daydreaming.
She stood up, and walked to the railing of the porch. She couldn’t quite see a cruiser, but she knew the sound of one. A dust cloud came from the top of the hill. It then appeared. It was a U.F. cruiser; she called out to the other rebels, “U.F.! U.F. cruiser ahead!”
The rebels grabbed their weapons, and readied themselves to defend the compound. The cruiser slowed down, and came to a stop. She watched as the rebels surrounded the vehicle to see who was about to get out. The doors slowly opened, and to her utter amazement, she saw Andrew, and Ethan getting out of the cruiser. The rebels stood down, and welcomed the two comrades home. She only counted two men; there were three since she had last remembered.
Andrew made his way to the front porch, and wrapped his arms around Jessica giving her a loving embrace. Ethan walked up the stairs; petted her on the head, called her, Hellcat, and walked into the house. She looked into Andrew’s eyes; she had so many questions that she still needed answers to, but the only one that came out was, “Did they hurt you?”
“No, but Jupiter is dead.”
Her eyes welled up with tears, but she blinked them away. She had to be strong, not for herself, but for Andrew. She replied, “How did you escape?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told yeah. Come on, let’s get some food.”
They headed inside, and found the kitchen; of course mobs of rebels swarmed Ethan as he tried to get some food, and drink. He didn’t fight it, he took it well, greeting everyone of the rebels that surrounded him. Andrew slipped in undetected by the rebels, but Ethan spotted him.
“Hellcat, Andrew,” he said, as he got up off his stool. “I think we should debrief her on what’s transpired over the last 24 hours. Come on, follow me.”
Ethan walked down the hall towards his office where they could get some peace, and quiet. They entered the office, shut the door, the outside noises of celebration were now muffled, and she could now actually think. What did he mean, what transpired, she couldn’t keep letting her mind run wild with it.
Ethan, and Andrew plopped down in their chairs exhausted, and sore from their escape from The United Front. Jess followed suit, and sat down. Worrying about these boys weighed heavily on her body over the past few days. Plus she still needed to know what happened to her at the headquarters, and one, or both of them knew. They spent a few moments just leaning back in their chairs, and starring at the ceiling.
Ethan spoke, and broke the silence first, “I’m sorry about your friends. They were good men.”
“What happened to them Andrew,” she asked, not recalling what had transpired after being bitten.
With a solemn face, Andrew struggled to get the words out, “Barry was killed by a horde of flesh-eaters.”
“Is he—“
“No, he finished himself off with a single shot, before the virus could take over.”
“And Jupiter?”
; “We were at the new headquarters of The U.F., and this guy McHale or something shot him.”
“Did he suffer?”
“No, he died instantly.”
“That’s terrible,” she said, as tears ran down her cheeks.
Ethan sat up, and leaned forward on his desktop, “It is, but we’re still alive, and we have to keep going.”
“Going where,” I curiously asked.
“Away from here, and as soon as possible.”
“Why?”
“It’s not safe here for you, or us. It’s only a matter of time before The U.F. finds this location, and attack it.”
“Why would they attack it? We’ve got nothing left, they killed our friends, and almost killed you two. I hardly think that you two are that important that they would hunt you down.”
Then there was silence… She looked at both of them, and knew something was up. Andrew had that look about him that she had seen before, like when we were in the Cluster, and he didn’t want to tell her that he brook her figurine that her mother had given her. She knew she had to ask, so she did, “What’s wrong? Tell me something.”
Ethan spoke up, “They’re not after us Hellcat… They’re after you.”
Again silence, then her thoughts caught up with her mouth, and she sputtered, “Me?”
“Back at the compound, you were bitten by a flesh-eater.”
“What, how can that be? I should’ve turned by now.”
“Exactly…”
Andrew could see that she was getting upset, so he interjected himself, “Jess, you have it.”
“Have what? It’s not the virus is it? Am I going to be okay,” She worried.
“You’re already okay. You don’t have the virus… You have the Reversal Gene. You’re the one they’ve been looking for this entire time,” Andrew explained.
This was a lot for her to take in right now. Just before they got here, she was laid up in bed for God knows how long, and who knows what was happening to her body during that time. Now they were telling her, she was the chosen one with a cure to the apocalypse. The one with this fairytale Reversal Gene… She was not buying it. “Just tell me for real what’s wrong with me.”
Andrew leaned over, and placed his hand over hers, “Jess, it’s true. You were bitten, but more than three days later, you’re still fine.”
Ethan stood up, and looked out the window. He then turned his attention back to Jessica, “I don’t know how much longer till they find us. We’ve got to go as soon as possible, so I know it’s a lot to take in right now Hellcat, but they are looking for you, and they will come for you.”
“Let’s just say I do have this so-called Reversal Gene, how would I have gotten it, and if we do leave, where do we go,” she frantically asked.
“I don’t have all the answers right now, but as far as where we go, I do have an idea. There’s a small rebel outpost north of here. Now they’re not big, but they are strong. Rumor has it, is they took down a U.F. platoon a few years back. They can protect us, and The U.F. wouldn’t find us there for a while. Something to just buy us some time, until we figure out our next steps.”
Andrew stood up from his chair, and pulled her up to him, “Jess, it’s our only option at this point. Look at me… It will be okay.”
For a brief moment… She felt safe. Jessica nodded her head, and put all her trust into Andrew, and Ethan’s hands. Ethan told her to, “Pack for the cold, and that it might snow.” How far north are we going, I have never seen snow before, since the bombings, the air here has always been warm. Yet again she wet with Ethan’s instincts, and headed off to pack up her stuff. She still wasn’t buying the story that she was the so-called chosen one.
_____________
McHale readied his men for an all out attack on the farmhouse. With Cunningham dead, he turned to his next in command. He was an older gentleman, peppered hair, unlike the younger Cunningham. He was also less compassionate, and knew what part he played in The United Front’s plan. He only went by his last name, no rank, just Maxwell.
McHale found Maxwell, and they spoke closely. McHale spoke first, “Maxwell, your men ready to move?”
“You know it. They’ll have that girl in custody by nightfall.”
“Are we going with the dead-flesh initiative this afternoon?”
“Absolutely. Have my recon team go first, infiltrate the house, locate the girl, and take her into custody. Once we’re clear, we send in the waves. Less ammo wasted that way,” he said with a quiet belly laugh.
“Just get it done,” McHale said, and walked away.
Maxwell addressed his men. Loudly he said, “Now men, the object of this mission is to locate the girl, and take her into United Front custody. Do this quietly, and with precision. Once you have her, get yourselves out of that house, and back to the cruisers. From there our friends will take care of the rest. Now, roll out.”
__________
The morning was giving way to the afternoon. The sun kissed off the farmhouse, and cornfields. Jessica was carrying her pack down to the main-floor, and out to the porch. Andrew was already there with his stuff. “It’s like the same items we came here with, just a few months ago huh,” she said.
“I never unpacked mine. Knew it wouldn’t be long till we were on our way. Just didn’t know it would be under these circumstances,” Andrew replied.
“You know, I don’t have the gene. You guys are wrong.”
“Jess, I saw that flesh-eater bite you. Now, now you’re standing here in front of me like nothing ever happened. What do you want us to think?”
“I don’t know; but not this… I was happy in the Cluster. Things were starting to become normal, as strange as that might seem to you.”
“It’s not strange, I liked it there too. But we’re here now, and this situation we’ve got ourselves into… We have to deal with it, or we won’t make it much further. You might not have the Reversal Gene, but the U.F. thinks you do, and that’s why we have got to get moving. They won’t stop looking for you, so we can’t stop trying to figure this situation out.”
Jessica was feeling a little less pity for herself, and more feeling along the lines of survival. Andrew was right, there might not be something special about me, but now that the U.F. knows, they won’t stop until I’m dead or in their lab somewhere, she reasoned. The deafening sound of Ethan’s cruiser pulling up along side of the porch sent butterflies into her stomach. She watched as he shut off the cruiser, and got out.
“Hellcat, you ready,” asked.
“Is there room for my stuff?”
“As long as you have one bag, I know how ladies can be when traveling,” he jokingly said.
She laughed too, and then held up her one bag, “Just the one… See”
“How bout you soldier?”
Andrew held up his one bag, and showed it to Ethan, “Also, just the one.”
“Is that just for your shoes, or did you actually pack clothes,” he kidded as he popped the hatch on the back of the cruiser.
They brought their stuff down, and tossed it in the cruiser. Ethan had already loaded his stuff in earlier, so he was all set. Jess crawled into the open passenger side door, and plopped herself down in the tiny rear seat. She waited for the boys to get in so they could get the trip started; she was anxious, but scared at the same time. Why would the UF want me? I mean, I don’t have their gene they’re looking for, in order to cleanse the country, she thought as her mind began to race.
Andrew climbed in, and Ethan quickly followed as he manned the wheel. Good thing Andrew had been in one of these before, she would have been little to no help if it were just she and Ethan. Ethan fired up the engine, they purred like a cat being run over by a lawnmower. With a bad transmission, he had to slam it into gear, causing it to grind its way in with each gear he went through. Once they were cruising, everything was smooth, and okay; but when they slowed down, or stopped, that’s when things could have gone wrong.
They traveled along the count
ryside, the afternoon drifted away, and the sunny skies were replaced by the nighttime sky, and the white glow of the full moon. Jess hadn’t any idea where they were heading, but anywhere as far away from The U.F., was perfect for her. She found herself falling victim to fatigue as the gentle terrain soothed her to sleep. She tried to keep her eyes open, but she succumbed to all the pressing factors that were working against her. Soon… She was asleep.
Attack On the Farmhouse
Just as mid-afternoon came, the rebels were on break from their training at the farmhouse. Jessica, Andrew, and Ethan were gone… All was well. Two rebel fighters sat on the front porch, and drank some well-deserved drinks. On top of the porch roof above them sat two-crouched U.F. soldiers dressed in gray fatigues. The two soldiers quietly inched their way to the open windows on the second floor of the farmhouse.
One of the soldiers peered into the open window, and all was clear. He signaled for the other soldier to breech the window, and he did so with great stealth like precision. Once inside, he stood watch while the other soldier came through the open window. They met up, and looked around the room, which was Jessica’s before she made her departure. The soldiers did not find anything of value, and most importantly, no signs of Jessica.
One of the soldiers got on his radio, and radioed to their backup, “This is Boomer. Over.”
A few moments passed, then Maxwell’s voice came across the radio, “This is Maxwell, go ahead Boomer.”
“We’re in the target’s room, and no signs of her anywhere.”
“Can you make it throughout the house freely?”
“That is a negative. We have rebels crawling all around this place. We won’t have enough ammo. Over.”
“I’m sending in Phase Two. Get yourselves out of there now.”
A Regressive World: Book One Page 14