“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” I whisper, “I’m sorry Chad.” I squeeze Penelope tightly as the flames grow brighter, “we should go before the others start to worry.”
We trudge on, making our way through the empty street. Neither one of us says a word until we get back to our safe house. Kennedy and Connor rush out of the house to meet us.
“We thought you both were dead,” Connor says.
“We almost were,” Penelope responds.
“What happened?” Kennedy questions.
“We were attacked by a flock of birds,” I respond, “a horde of Zombies followed.”
“How did you survive?” Kennedy asked.
“We found a small house. We bunkered there for the night,” Penelope answered.
“Did you find any survivors?” I ask changing the subject.
“Matthew was the only one we found alive. He was hiding inside a trash barrel. Scott and Lydia were found in pieces but we didn’t see Chad’s body,” Connor answered.
“We found Chad. He was dead,” I answered.
“His body was cold, there was no hope. We gave him a proper good-bye,” Penelope says covering for me.
“Why don’t we get inside,” Kennedy says with a half-smile, “you guys must be hungry.”
“Starving actually,” Penelope says with a wide grin.
We are guided back into the safe house, Matthew is sitting in one of the kitchen chairs rocking back and forth a petrified look coated on his face. Fanny is standing behind him fighting to wash the dirt off his face with a wash cloth.
“Thought you two were dead,” Natalie calls out from the bedroom doorway.
“Wouldn’t be the first time I was presumed dead,” I say sarcastically.
Natalie smiles at me before disappearing back into the bedroom. Connor sits us down at the kitchen table while Kennedy opens some provisions for us.
“You know we could have done that ourselves,” Penelope says.
“I know,” Kennedy says the smile on her face fading, “but the truth is we need to talk.”
“About what?” I ask with a sigh.
“About heading south,” Connor chimes in.
“We were planning on leaving today,” Kennedy finishes.
“What?” I ask.
“When you didn’t come back last night, we thought it would be best if we left this place,” Kennedy says sympathetically.
“You weren’t even going to come look for us?” Penelope asks outraged.
“Honestly?” Connor says from neat the sink, “No. we saw the horde of Zombies last night as well. We thought even if you were dead there wouldn’t be anything left of you.”
“At least nothing we’d want to see,” Kennedy adds.
“Still, how can you say you’re our friends if you can’t even try to look for us?” Penelope says visually upset.
“Look it wasn’t an easy call,” Connor says slamming his fist against the counter.
“It was the right call,” I say trying to break some of the tension.
“What do you mean?” Penelope says growling at me.
“I would have made the same call. We all know that the survival rate is low. Especially in a strange area with a horde found wandering around. I can’t say I’m happy about it, but I agree with it. I also believe that moving forward is the right call as well. After we eat, we travel.”
“Are you kidding?” Penelope hisses at me.
“No I’m not,” I answer calmly, “is there any gas left in the van?”
“Half a tank,” Connor replies.
“Then it’s settled, we leave in an hour,” I say as I scoop out my breakfast and begin shoveling the food into my mouth.
Time doesn’t go by as fast as I would have liked it too. As a matter of fact it is downright dragging. We have already stowed our bags in the van, most of us ready to leave but Matthew insists that going back out is crazy. Kennedy has been working with him consistently in the office, trying to keep him calm. Connor has been tinkering under the hood of the van since we finished breakfast and Natalie has been teaching Fanny some basic moves. Penelope and I remained in the kitchen in mostly silence, occasionally sharing a passing glimpse at one and other. She slid her hand across the table toward mine but I pulled it away.
“You don’t have to avoid me you know,” She declares softly.
My eyes follow up her arm until I see into her eyes. She is giving me a sort of defeated smile. I feel guilt bubbling in my lower stomach. Last night was incredible, our chemistry together was so strong that I had almost forgotten about this vague existence. But what about Kennedy? She has meant a lot to me too, tending to me and the others, filling me with strength I almost feel like I’m abandoning her.
“I’m not avoiding you,” I reply, “I’m just trying to figure everything out.”
“What is there to figure out?” She asks puzzled.
“Everything,” I respond, “I’m not going to say I don’t have feelings for you, but I also can’t deny how I feel about Kennedy.”
“But, we made love,” She says, her voice crackling.
“I know. I’m sorry if I’m upsetting you, but I respect you both enough that I don’t want to hurt either one of you,” I say, “so please promise me until I figure this out you won’t tell anyone what we did last night. No matter how special it was.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Kennedy’s voice says from behind me.
I turn around in time to watch Kennedy take off sobbing down the hallway. I try to get up but I’m stopped by Penelope.
“Let her go,” she says, “she is going to have to figure things out just like you.”
I drop back in the chair, my head slumped in defeat, my fingers wrapped around my hair as I let out a loud grunt. I pivot in my seat, facing the table once again giving me a place to rest my head while I continue to contemplate things and wait for Connor.
I must have dozed off while waiting. Penelope is no longer sitting at the table with me, instead she has been replaced with Connor. He is just staring at me blankly, his canteen slowly being swatted side to side by both his hands.
“Where is Penelope?” I ask.
“She’s in the van with the others,” he replies.
“So we’re good to go?” I ask getting to my feet.
“Soon, soon,” he says as he motions for me to sit again. “But first I have to ask, what’s wrong with Kennedy?”
“She’s mad at me,” I answer.
“No shit she’s mad!” he shoots back clearly not impressed with my answer, “what did you do to her.”
I let out a deep sigh as I contemplate telling Connor everything that happened, “Penelope and I… got intimate last night. Kennedy overheard us talking, I swear I was going to tell her, but she didn’t want to talk to me.”
“Well that explains why she doesn’t want to sit anywhere near either one of you in the van,” he says shaking his head before reaching across the table. His massive hands grab my shoulders tightly as he pulls me forward, “you had better fix this mess.”
“Believe me, I intend to fix it,” I reply pulling myself away.
“And make it fast,” Connor calls out, “I’d like to leave sometime today.”
His voice travels out into the hall and into my ears. I shake it off. I head down the hallway and into the attached garage. The side door of the van is opened wide. I can see Matthew curled up in the fetal position mumble as her fingers his rosaries. Fanny is sitting in the passenger seat, her head looking down, and her lips moving. I can almost make out the words she is mouthing until she pulls the book closer to her face blocking my view of her. Natalie is resting on top of the van, throwing a knife into the air and catching it, letting out soft giggles with each catch. Neither Kennedy nor Penelope are near the van, each standing on opposite sides of the garage.
“I see you’ve finally joined us,” Natalie says sitting up, “Are we finally ready to go?”
“Almost. First I need to talk with Kennedy,” I s
ay.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” Kennedy snarls.
“Well tough luck. We don’t leave until we talk,” I smirk.
“Oh just talk to him already so we can get on the god damn road,” Natalie retorts.
Kennedy rolls her eyes and grunts in anger before agreeing to talk to me. I escort her out of the garage and down the hall and into the living room. I catch Connor coming out of the kitchen, stopping just outside the doorway when he sees us. He smiles and nods as I close the door behind us.
“What’s so damned important you have to talk to me now?” Kennedy roars, “You couldn’t even let me calm down.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmur.
“Why? Why are you sorry?” Kennedy asks, tears forming in her eyes.
“I’m sorry I hurt you. Even when I was with her I knew what I was doing felt wrong, but I couldn’t stop,” I admit.
“But what did we have? You never even tried to explore it with me,” The tears are now flowing freely down her face.
“I wanted to, I swear I did,” I say.
“Well it’s too late now,” She says calmly wiping away the tears, “to late for everything. I loved you, but no more! I’m done, done listening to you, caring for you, and especially done taking orders from you. I’ll fight with you and I’ll wake you up if there is trouble, but now I can honestly say if it ever came down to it I would not have a problem being the one who has to end your life.” She turns around and starts out of the living room.
“I love you too,” I whisper after I hear the door to the garage slam shut.
It takes me a few moments before I work up the courage to walk back into the garage. This time everyone is in the van waiting for me. I can see Connor sitting behind the wheel, Kennedy sitting in the passenger seat with an evil look on her face. Penelope is smiling at me waving for me to join her in the back. I smile and nod before opening the garage door, releasing the bright sun into the garage. I rush over to the van and slide into the back, closing the door behind me as Connor backs out.
“Aren’t we going to light this place on fire?” Penelope asks, “You know like all the other places.”
“No,” Connor answers, “I think everything has changed now.”
Chapter 13
September 26th, 2037
We’ve been in the van for the last couple of days, only getting out when we find a proper safe house or when we are looking for gas. The whole time driving on the road we have not had a clue which way we are going. Gas stations have been few and far between, and sometimes just finding a gas station isn’t the only problem. Many places have been tapped out, others are over run with infected. Many of the stores have also been cleaned out, or destroyed leaving us with minimal provisions. Kennedy hasn’t even talked to me since the incident, choosing to do most of her night shifts with Fanny. When I took over driving earlier this morning I noticed a sign that welcomed us into Washington D.C.
“Are you kidding me?” Connor says from the passenger seat.
“What?” I ask jerking at the wheel.
“We’ve only just arrived in D.C.? We couldn’t have been more than an hour away a few days ago,” he says visibly upset.
“How are you surprised?” Natalie says sticking her head through the opening dividing the front and back, “I mean come on we were driving in circles for a while. Hell, I’m surprised we haven’t seen a moose welcoming us to Canada.”
“Yeah I’m sure that would have gone over well,” I say with a chuckle.
Natalie starts laughing with me while Connor stares at us with a disgusted look on his face. A loud “POP” sound is heard from underneath us and the van starts to sway back and forth across the road. I try to slow the van down, but by the time I hit the brakes it’s too late, the passenger side tire catches the curb, flipping the van onto its side as it continues to keep gliding on the asphalt. We keep going until the van crashes into a building. I can hear the others in the back hit the side of the van hard. Connor is upside down beside me, I watch for a second, worried that the worst had happened. I can hear him gasping for air before opening his eyes. I try to free myself from my seat but the buckle gives me problems. I shuffle through my pocket searching for my knife, the rest of my contents dropping as I search. It takes me a moment but I finally manage to pull my knife out. I flip open the blade and furiously saw at the safety belt. I hit the roof of the van hard when I finally free myself but I don’t let the pain stop me. I try opening the door but it fights me. I stretch out uncomfortably, my head nuzzled in Connor’s stomach as I use my feet to kick the window out and slide out. I kick the glass away before getting back on the ground and tugging Connor’s body out through the window. His eyes are still half open and his breathing is sluggish, but I swear I could see him smiling slightly when I prop him up against the side of the van. I rush to the back door and tug on the handle as hard as I can until finally I get one door to open.
“Is everyone all right?” I ask hopefully.
“No,” Natalie calls out, “I’m bleeding heavily. Kennedy and Penelope were knocked out.”
“What about Fanny and Matthew?” I ask.
“She took a lot of damage. She’s unconscious and barley breathing, I kind of crushed her when we stopped,” Natalie says, her voice showing considerable pain, “Matthew hit his head pretty hard but he’s still breathing.
I climb into the back of the van, and see Natalie staring at me, pain in her eyes, her hands pressed forcibly against her right side. I reach out for her hand, and she resists for a moment before giving me one. I can feel a warm sticky substance on her hand as I grip it tightly and pull her to her feet. I manage to get her out of the van with little trouble and I sit her down beside Connor.
“Wait here,” I say before rushing back into the van.
“Where else am I going to go?” I hear her say sarcastically.
I look at Matthew and the three girls, each passed out and sprawled across the inside. I decide to take Fanny out first, grabbing her under her arms and sliding her along the ground and out of the van. I place her on the opposite side of Connor and she struggles to stay up. I sob lightly as I try to make her comfortable. I manage to lean her head against Connor’s body before I head back into the van. I get inside and stop in front of Matthew who is lying face down on the ground. I roll him over and notice all the blood escaping from the gashes across his face. I grasp his hands firmly and pull him out. I lean him up next to Fanny before I do a quick check of the abrasions over his face, luckily they are nothing major. I take a quick breath before heading back inside the van. I stop when I’m inside, I look at the two girls lying unconscious as my head jerks back and forth trying to decide who to take out first. I sigh heavily before reaching down and grabbing Kennedy’s limp body and dragging her outside. I place her next to Natalie who has started to breathe heavily, her teeth clenched tightly together.
“How you doing?” I ask.
“Just fine,” She grunts, “and you?”
“Peachy,” I try to joke.
I leave Natalie one last time and head back inside for Penelope. Inside the van I spot the bags and weapons. I start searching through the bags until I come across Kennedy’s. I throw it over my shoulders before wrapping Penelope up in my arms and dragging her outside with the others. I sit her up next to Kennedy and take a few steps back, watching to make sure both of them were breathing. Natalie lets out a soft cry, getting my attention. I kneel down in front of her, swinging Kennedy’s bag off my back, and begin digging through it.
“What are you doing?” Natalie asks.
“Looking for something to help you,” I answer without looking up. I stumble across the box Kennedy keeps wrapped up with needles and pain medicine. I read the labels on each of the glass vials until I find the one marked ‘Toradol’. I open a syringe and begin to fill it.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” she asks.
“Not really,” I answer as I jab the needle down into her leg. I slowly push the
plunger down releasing the medicine into her body. She lets out a soft sigh when I finish the injection. “Now, let’s take a look at that wound,” I say pulling her hand away. Her shirt is covered with blood and sticks to her body as I try to lift it up to get a better look.
“Just rip it off for Christ’s sake,” she cries in pain.
Hesitantly I rip her shirt free of her body revealing the black sports bra underneath. The wound isn’t too big, only about three inches long, but I can tell it is deep. I pull out a small bottle of rubbing alcohol and twist the top off.
“This is probably going to sting,” I warn her.
“Stop talking and just do it,” She orders.
I pour a sensible amount out of the bottle causing Natalie to cry out slightly. I wipe the wound softly with my hand. I feel something inside the gash but I can’t see it.
“Wait right here, I’ll be right back,” I assure her as I jump to my feet.
I rush back inside the van and search for Connor’s bag. I find his bag as fast as possible and rush back out to Natalie’s side.
“You left me for a bag?” She grunts.
“No, I left you for these,” I say pulling out the needle nose pliers from Connor’s bag.
“What are you going to do with those?” she asks concerned.
“There is something inside the cut. I’m going to reach in and pull it out,” I answer.
“Are you sure that’s safe?” she questions.
“Safer then leaving it inside you,” I nod.
“Maybe we should wait for Kennedy instead,” she debates.
“We don’t know how long she’ll be out for. I think this is the best idea,” I urge.
“Fine, do it quick,” she says through her teeth.
I nod in agreement as I wash the pliers thoroughly with the alcohol before opening them slightly and digging them into the wound. She sobs as I dig deeper into the wound. I close the handles and slowly pull it back out of her. I can see an item grasped at the end of the pliers. I wriggle it free slowly trying not to hurt her. It finally slides out and I notice it is a piece of metal, most likely part of the van that broke off during the collision.
Omega Virus (Book 1): Surviving the Horror Page 11