“Hey,” she says weakly.
“How you feeling?” I ask.
“Better then yesterday,” She smiles, “how do I look?”
My eyes examine her injured body before I speak, “you look beautiful.”
“You lie,” she chuckles.
“How is she doing?” I ask Jeremy.
“Super. Her vitals are strong, and brain activity is normal,” He replies.
I want to punch him in the face each time he opens his mouth, but I have to play nice for now. “When can I take her out of here?”
“As long as she keeps progressing like this, I don’t see any reason we couldn’t let her out tomorrow,” Jeremy says with a smile before leaving the room.
“How is everyone?” Penelope asks after he closes the door.
“Good, I guess,” I answer her.
“Except?” she asks, catching the slight doubt in my voice.
“None of them will talk to me,” I sigh.
“Give them time,” She reassures me.
“I wish I could,” I say with a whisper, leaning close to Penelope’s ear, “I don’t think we can trust Jeremy.”
Penelope pulls her head away from me a look of confusion washes over her face, “What do you mean? He took us in, he healed each of us.”
“He also took each of our blood for unknown reasons and had each sample sent to ‘his lab’ which I can’t seem to find, and he has been very reluctant on letting us out of his ‘care’,” I murmur to her.
“Maybe he’s just being cautious? Better to keep us and make sure we’re healthy instead of rushing it, right?” She says optimistically.
“What about the lab?” frustration is heard building in my voice.
“I don’t know,” she sighs, “maybe you just haven’t found it yet?”
“I’ve been through this whole place,” I defend, “it isn’t here.”
“I don’t know,” she says visibly upset. Her heart monitor starts to beep louder. I look up and see the number climbing higher. I try to calm her down, panicking until it slowly starts to drop.
“I’m sorry, I really am,” I say almost sobbing.
“It’s ok,” she says breathing heavily, “I’m just worried about you. We have finally found a real safe house, and I’m just worried that you are creating a monster in your mind. It’s like you need to fight something.”
Her words hit me hard, almost like a blow to the gut. “I’m sorry,” I say with sterile tone, “I’m sorry I bothered you with my insane theory. I’ll leave you alone.” I turn my back to her and head for the door.
“Damian,” she calls out, “Damian come on I didn’t mean it like that.”
I walk out of the room my head hung low, my eyes watering as I keep them focused on the ground. The idea that I had just left the last person who was still willing to talk to me, I can’t believe I did that. I walk into my room and close my door swiftly behind me. I rest my back against the door and slam my head backward into the door several times. Each time my head hits the door I hear the loud thud. I keep hoping to knock some sense into my dense head.
“Rough day?” Mason’s voice calls out from my bed.
I lift my head up and see him sitting at the edge of my bed, almost as if he has been waiting for me. “What do you want?”
“I just want to talk,” Mason answers.
“I don’t feel like talking,” I snarl at him.
“Tough,” He replies getting to his feet, “I’ve heard whispers. You don’t trust me or Jeremy do you?”
I slowly start to get to my feet. My heart beat slowly starting to beat faster, “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Come on Damian, you don’t need to lie to me,” Mason says slowly walking toward me.
My hand fumbles behind me, searching for the door knob, “I’m not lying,” I persist.
His hand slides right beside my head, his arm keeping the door closed. His face inches close to mine. It’s like he can smell my fear, “I’ll give you one last chance to be honest with me.”
I take in a deep breath trying to be a stern as I could be, “I have nothing to say to you. Get out of my room.”
He pulls his arm away, I watch the left side of his lip curl into a snide smile. “Good. But I know you have been wandering. What could you be looking for?”
“A few days ago Jeremy said he sent vials of our blood to his lab. I was looking for his lab to see if there is anything weird in our blood,” I lie.
“Why didn’t you just ask Jeremy?” Mason questions.
“I can’t seem to find him half the time. The other half he’s usually too busy to answer silly questions,” I swallow hard unsure if Mason will buy it.
He looks at me dead in the eye. I can almost feel him staring into my soul, “well then, perhaps we had better rectify this.”
His hand reaches out beside me, I shudder as his hand reaches the door knob and twists it. I slink away from the door and away from him as he opens the door. He gestures for me to follow him out into the hallway.
“Where are we going,” I stutter.
“To the lab,” he answers, “That’s where you want to go, isn’t it?”
I nod hesitantly, uneasily I follow him through the hallways. Part of me wants to turn back, but I know there is no place I can go or hide from him in this place. My mind has been racing so fast I lose focus on where he has taken me. I stare vacantly at a plain white wall. I look around hoping to figure out where he has taken me but there is nothing around us.
“What now?” I ask, beads of sweat budding on my forehead.
“Now?” he repeats placing his hand on smooth wall. A bright light shines from behind his hand. The wall trembles as it slides open revealing an elevator. “Now we take a ride down to the sub-basement.” He walks into the elevator and waves for me to join him. “Sub-basement level 1,” Mason calls out after I grudgingly join him inside.
The doors slide shut and I listen as the gears begin to whir sending us downward.
“How far does this elevator go?” I manage to ask.
“There are three levels to this bunker with the sub-basement being the lowest point. The main bunker is the basement level. Above the basement is the ground floor,” Mason answers.
“There is a ground floor?” I ask.
“Yes, there this elevator goes all the way up to the surface. It opens up in a garage, where I keep most of my bad ass vehicles when I need to explore the city,” Mason winks.
“Why are you telling me all this?” I ask as the doors open in front of us.
“You’ve been here a week, and it doesn’t seem like you are going anywhere anytime soon and I thought about it, and it only seems fair that we are honest with each other,” Mason explains.
“Seems fair,” I say, a slight sound of relief escapes from my mouth as I feel myself breathing a little easier.
He stomps his foot on the ground and the lights above us flash on. Row after row lights shine down on the sub-basement. On the right side there are rooms noticeable through huge windows showing into the laboratory. I can see the various tools and equipment through the glass. In the far end of the laboratory I spot a headless Zombie strapped down to a metal bed.
“Are you kidding me?” I yell, “You actually have one of those things down here?”
Mason smirks, “relax, its dead.”
“I’ve heard that one before,” I say backing away.
“Well this one is,” Mason says firmly, “I killed it myself. Also I left its head outside. So I can guarantee that it isn’t coming back.”
He walks me over to the laboratory door and pushes me inside. He walks over to the filing cabinet and starts shuffling through the drawers. My attention gets pulled back to the decapitated Zombie. I wander off from Mason and examine the body. I circle the table, the straps wrap around its legs and chest. My eyes focus on its hand, the thought of it coming back to life and grabbing my wrist sends chills down my spine, forcing me to take a step back. I shake the images out
of my head and continue to snoop. I turn my focus toward the piles of papers on the tables behind me. I sift through them looking for anything of importance. Many papers seem to focus on Doctor Fairfield studying the corpse behind me. I pick up one of the papers that entice me the most.
Doctor Ming and I never imagined the Virus could be used this way. I have performed many initial tests on the corpse’s body that Mason has brought to me but I haven’t found any cure yet. If I can’t find something soon I fear that the virus will completely wipe out humanity in less than a year.
The note ends there, I search both front and back for anything else.
“I found it,” Mason calls from the filing cabinets.
I stuff the note into my pocket hoping that Mason hadn’t noticed what I was doing. I rush back over to Mason as he is reading through a file he has obtained.
“What did you find?” I ask casually.
“Jeremy’s reports on each of your blood samples,” Mason responds, “That is what you were looking for right?”
“Yes,” I say reaching out my hand out for the report.
He hands me the file and I shuffle through the paperwork Doctor Fairfield has on each one of us.
“This says everything is normal,” my voice sounds slightly upset as I speak, “but why wouldn’t he just tell us that?”
“Maybe he figured it was pointless to bring it up?” he shrugs, “I mean if there is nothing of importance, he probably shrugged it off. He has a tendency of doing that.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I sigh.
“Come on, why don’t we go back upstairs? You can check on your friends,” Mason suggests patting my back.
“I don’t know if my friends really want anything to do with me,” I reply exasperated.
“No matter what you did, they are your friends and with a certain amount of time they will forgive you,” Mason says adding his two cents.
I don’t say another word, I just nod as I follow him out of the laboratory.
“What’s over there?” I ask looking at the left side. There is a wall with a solid metal door in the middle. Three metal bars rise out of the floor in front of the door.
“That’s detainment,” he replies.
“Is there anyone in there?” I ask feeling the wall.
“Honestly?” he says in a rather ominous tone, “there are two Zombies in there.”
“Please tell me they are dead,” I say in shock.
“I wish I could,” Mason states, “But I’m afraid Jeremy prefers to keep them alive, err undead? You know what I mean.”
“This isn’t right,” I panic, “what if they get out? What if they get to us?”
“There is no chance that they will ever get out. The door alone is electrified, fifty thousand volts every time they touch it. There is also a failsafe program that supplies a knockout gas through the air vent if either Jeremy or I enter the proper code into the computer, and lastly, if they ever do manage to get out of the room they would never be able to access the elevator,” He answers in a smug tone.
“That still doesn’t give me any hope,” I reply walking away from the prison.
I wait by the elevator door as Mason slowly takes his time walking over to me. We ride the elevator back up to the main bunker. He walks me back to my room and I thank him for being honest and showing me the laboratory. I enter my bedroom and find Natalie sitting on my bed waiting for me.
“What are you doing in here?” I ask.
“Waiting for you,” She replies, “Where have you been anyway?”
“Mason showed me the laboratory,” I answer.
“Really? Where is it? Is it full of all kinds of cool science stuff?” she asks with a wicked smile.
“It’s in the sub-basement, but it’s not as cool as it sounds. He keeps a headless Zombie body strapped to a table in plain sight,” I answer.
“That’s insane,” She says, “at least its dead.”
“Yeah, but the other two aren’t,” I rant.
“What the fuck is wrong with these people?” she cries out.
I tell her about my experience in the laboratory and show her the note I took. She takes it all in rather well considering how angry she became.
“I’m going to kill them myself,” she says gritting her teeth.
“Not yet,” I say, “as much as it kills me, we still need them.”
“Should we tell the others at least?” she asks still steamed.
I think about it for a moment, “no. I think it is in their best interests that we keep them in the dark. At least until we confront Jeremy.”
“What about Mason?” she asks, “can we trust him?”
“Yeah, I think so,” I nod, “he’s at least been more honest then Jeremy.”
“Alright,” she sighs, “Then we play the waiting game.”
Chapter 16
October 10th, 2037
The days have begun to blur by. Natalie has been the only person I have been able to fully trust. Jeremy was true to his word, medically clearing Penelope the next day as he said. Penelope has moved into one of the ‘dorm rooms’ as we have become to call it. She was given the room across from mine and next to Kennedy’s. It feels nice just having the old team back close together, even if it does feel weird not all sharing the same room, or even having to take shifts. Connor has slowly started talking to me again, he seems to have forgiven since Penelope has made a full recovery. Doctor Fairfield has been teaching Kennedy and Fanny different medical techniques. He says it is crucial that the next generation learn how to heal as well as kill. I hate that guy. He has everyone else fooled and all I can do is bite my tongue, waiting for him to screw up.
I get up from my bed, my journal tucked safely away in my bag as I venture out of my room. I don’t really know where to go, I just know I don’t really want to be alone. I look in Penelope’s room but find it empty. I can hear laughter coming from Kennedy’s room so I head over thinking she is having fun with Fanny. I knock on the door but there is no answer. I open the door slowly, sticking my head in. I can see her in the room with Matthew, she is giggling and laughing and for the first time since meeting him so is he. He leans in and kisses her gently. When they pull away she giggles again. I feel sick as I watch him lean in and kiss her neck sparking a series of giggles and moans. I remove my head from her doorway and softly pull the door closed behind me. I feel slightly uneasy, I guess this is how Kennedy felt when she found out I slept with Penelope. I wander off from Kennedy’s room. I don’t even know how I ended up in the bathroom. I clasp my hands tightly around the first sink I see, my eyes glaring at my own reflection in the mirror in front of me. My face is pale, paler than usual, I can almost feel myself trembling as I turn on the water and splash myself in the sink. The cold water actually feels quite relaxing on my face.
“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realize anyone was in here,” Penelope says. I can see her reflection in the mirror, her skin slightly exposed a towel wrapped around her midsection.
“It’s alright,” I say turning around, “it’s a big bathroom.”
“I know, it’s just,” she pauses, her head looking away from me.
“Hey,” I say my fingers gently wrap around her chin lifting her head back up, her eyes teary as she looks into mine, “I’m sorry about everything.”
“Sorry about us?” she asks, her voice almost muffled by tears.
“No, of course not. The one thing in this whole fucked up world that I am not sorry about is you and me,” I say, my hands resting on her silky smooth shoulders.
She wraps her arms around my waist, “Are you sure about that? I mean Kennedy…”
“Don’t,” I say interrupting her, “I’m not concerned with Kennedy, or Connor, or Matthew, or anyone else. I’m only concerned about you.
She pulls herself closer to me pressing her lips to mine, her towel unrevealing between us until it is laying sprawled on the floor between us. My hands explore her naked back causing her to pull away from me, wincing in pain.
“Yeah. Still just a little tender I guess,” she says pulling away from me slightly.
I can see the black and blue bruises around her chest. I turn her around and see a purple bruise under her left shoulder blade, roughly the size of a quarter.
“Does that hurt?” I ask brushing my hand across the bruise.
“Slightly,” she says clenching her teeth, “Jeremy said the pain would be normal, that it would go away soon.”
“Then perhaps I shouldn’t touch you until they heal,” I say sadly.
“Or perhaps you shut up and touch me softly,” she says placing my arms around her waist. She presses her lips against my neck and proceeds to take it nice and slowly.
The day seems to progressively pick up after we leave the bathroom. I take her back to her room and help her change.
“See, I told you it would be fine if you took it slow,” she smirks.
“Yeah, you were right,” I chuckle.
A soft knock comes from her bedroom door.
“Come in,” she calls wringing her towel through her hair.
Fanny pushes the door open and steps inside, a concerned look on her face.
“What’s up?” Penelope asks.
“I’m not sure,” Fanny says in almost a whisper, “but Natalie is in the medical wing of the bunker yelling at Doctor Fairfield.”
“What about?” Penelope asks.
“I’m not sure. But she is shouting a lot, something about lying to us and some kind of conspiracy,” Fanny replies.
“Oh shit,” I mumble, fidgeting back and forth.
“What is it?” Penelope asks, a frigid tone in her voice, “What do you know?”
“I know that Natalie shouldn’t have opened her mouth,” I growl backing away from my friends, “not yet anyway.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” Penelope asks, “I thought there were no secrets between us.”
Omega Virus (Book 1): Surviving the Horror Page 14