“I have my orders,” he remarks.
“This shouldn’t be about orders,” I argue, “those people aren’t here. They don’t know what we are experiencing, and they sure as shit don’t understand any of this.”
Mason’s arm starts to shake, I can see his gun trembling. “It doesn’t matter, they are still my superiors.”
“Shoot him already,” Jeremy whispers into my ear.
I sigh as I pull the trigger of my gun. ‘CLICK, CLICK’ the sound my gun makes before I remember the clip is empty. “Fuck,” I sigh dropping the gun onto the ground.
“I must say I am impressed,” Mason smiles, “I would never have guessed that you would have actually pulled the trigger. Too bad your gun was empty, but I can assure you mine isn’t.”
I stand still anticipating the end until I hear a gun shot. I gasp, my eyes tightly shut not sure why I don’t feel any pain. I gently open my eyes just in time to see Mason’s body fall to his knees, a small hole starts bleeding. I turn my head and find Natalie and Connor standing behind us, the gun in Natalie’s hand still smoking.
“I bet nobody doubted that I could pull the trigger,” Natalie winks.
“Is he dead?” Kennedy asks coming out of the room.
Jeremy walks over and checks his pulse, “yes.”
“Good,” I say unsympathetically, “but what do we do now?”
“We have to leave,” Connor rations, “With Mason dead, his superiors will most likely send troops to come in search of him.”
“Really? They would still send others here even knowing how dangerous it is out there?” Matthew asks joining the rest of us out in the hallway.
“Yes. They don’t care how many lives they have to sacrifice as long as their will is done,” Connor answers.
“Who is the one most likely to be calling the shots?” Kennedy asks.
“President Quinn,” Connor nods, “Commander and chief of the military.”
“Former commander and chief,” Kennedy says, “hard to be commander if there is nothing to command.”
“It’s also harder to have that power taken from you,” I sigh.
“What are you saying? That this whole thing is a conspiracy so that Quinn could keep his power?” Kennedy asks.
“Not the craziest theory I’ve heard,” Jeremy says.
“Alright, so either way, where do we go now?” Penelope asks from the doorway, Fanny close beside her.
“We stick to our original plan,” Connor speaks up, “we continue south.”
“There are three bunkers to the south of here,” Jeremy says, “there is one in Mobile, Alabama. One in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and lastly, Miami, Florida.”
“Each one a major city,” Natalie says.
“Yes, and most likely over run by more military personal,” Connor reasons.
“We’ve had contact in both Mobile and Baton Rouge, but there hasn’t been any word from Miami,” Jeremy says.
“Alright then we head for Miami,” Connor says.
“We are going to need a lot of weapons,” Kennedy utters.
“Then I guess we are lucky to have a whole armory to ourselves,” Natalie replies with a shrewd smile.
Chapter 18
October 19th, 2037
We fled the bunker the next day, against Jeremy’s request. Connor insisted, not wanting to wait around for any tactical groups to finish what Mason couldn’t. We ransacked the Armory before heading out. I didn’t take much, seemed useless after fending off the Zombies in the sub-basement. Still I know it’s better to be prepared for anything so I loaded up on ammunition. My sword hasn’t left my side since I reclaimed it, I never want to be caught without it again.
We are almost out of Virginia by the time I am writing this, slowed down by a tremendous rainfall. A small, former farmhouse has become our latest safe house. Jeremy hasn’t been doing well out of the bunker and away from his lab. I worry about his safety, especially seeing as how it is my fault he has been ripped away from his comfort zone, away from safety. Kennedy still hasn’t said much to me, outside a couple of spiteful remarks. She and Matthew have also become more open about their involvement together. I have often wondered these last few days if she really likes him or is just using him to piss me off. Natalie has been taking care of Connor who managed to bruise his ribs jumping out of the elevator. Fanny and Penelope have been getting close as well, Penelope even told me she has been thinking of Fanny as a younger sister.
Its dark and cold outside, the broken window does little to protect us from the strong wind. The fireplace in the living room is our only source of heat and light. Most of the others are asleep on the floor, with the exception of Fanny, Natalie, and myself. Natalie has been sitting beside Connor since he slipped off to sleep. Her attention to him since his injuries has been unwavering. Fanny is sitting next to the window watching the rain dance off the glass. She says it’s relaxing, that the rain reminds her of a more peaceful time.
“I remember just sitting on the porch at home with my mother beside me. It was always my favorite thing to do, especially in the rain,” Fanny says continuing to look out the window.
“What made it so special?” I ask, closing my journal and walking over to our young friend.
“I don’t know,” Fanny smiles, “because it’s relaxing I guess, and because it was always one of things my parents enjoyed to do.”
“You miss them don’t you?” I ask.
“Very much,” Fanny answers, “but I knew they loved me, and that helps me get through the day.”
“You’re a very wise young lady,” I smile.
“My dad used to tell me that too,” her smile fades.
“I’m sorry,” my eyes drop to the ground, avoiding her tears.
“No, it’s ok. It’s like part of him still exists,” she says forcing back her tears.
“Part of him does and always will. You are your father’s daughter and will keep his memory alive for as long as you need it to be,” I say bracing my hand on her shoulder.
She can’t fight back the tears any longer, she sniffles, her breath staggered as she starts to sob. I pull her head close to my chest and hold her closely until she cries herself out.
“I’m sorry,” she sniffles, wiping away the remaining tears with her free hand.
“Don’t be,” I say brushing her hair away from her face, “this is a sad, confusing time, and we all need to let it out every now and then.”
“But you always seem so brave,” she says.
“I promise you that is not always my intention,” I smile, “I’m scared and sad just like everyone else. No one else in this room knows this, but before the virus broke out I had a wife.”
“Yeah?” she asks.
“Yeah. She was my whole world. We met back in high school and it was love at first sight,” I smile, “or maybe it took two or three looks to fall in love, but I knew from the moment I saw her I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. It seemed like it was going to happen too, right after high school we got married. Her parents didn’t approve of us wanting to start our lives together so young.”
“What happened?” she asks as I pause briefly.
“A friend of my mother’s owned a house and offered us her furnished basement for as long as we needed it. We stayed there over a year while we worked, and scrimped, and saved before we were finally able to move out on our own. It was also about that time that my mother fell ill. Unable to take care of herself, Chloe offered her one of our extra bedrooms,” I continued.
“What was wrong with her?” Fanny asked.
“She started showing signs of dementia,” I explain, “but Chloe was very compassionate and wanted to help her and make her as comfortable as possible. Its funny thinking back now, but she treated my mother better than I did. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my mother but sometimes I would get so frustrated with everything. But it didn’t stop us from being a happy family. Six months after my mother moved in with us Chloe surprised me with some incredi
ble news, she was pregnant. It was an amazing feeling of joy and excitement. That feeling went away quickly though, the next month the bomb went off and I watched both my wife and mother succumb to the change. One of the hardest things I had to do was kill my mother and expecting wife.”
“I’m sorry,” Fanny says.
“Don’t be,” I say, my voice in an almost whisper, “while it still hurts thinking about it, I still have an incredible opportunity to continue living.”
Fanny smiles and gives me a big hug, “thank you for sharing that with me.”
“Any time,” I smile, “we’re family now and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. For any of you.”
“Do you mean that?” Fanny asked wide eyed.
“From the very bottom of my heart,” I smile, “but it’s getting late now. Why don’t you get ready for bed?”
Fanny hugs me again before getting up and snuggling up next to Penelope on the floor. I watch her momentarily before turning my attention back to the window and the falling rain.
“Was everything you said true?” Natalie asks.
“What do you mean?” I ask not turning around.
“What you said to Fanny,” Natalie asks again, “was it true?”
I turn my head around and stare at Natalie, “for the most part what I said was true.”
“What does that mean?” She asks.
“It means I did watch my mother and wife turn into Zombies, and yes I killed them, and it kills me on the inside to think about it,” I start, “but in no way am I thankful to still be alive.” I get to my feet, “honestly I think about putting a gun in my mouth every morning and ending it all.”
“Then why would you tell her all that?” Natalie asks shocked.
“Because she is still young. She is an opportunity for the human race to survive,” I explain, “She is the future, with a lot of stress and shit on her plate already. She deserves at least one positive memory in all this.”
Natalie looks at me in silence before finally nodding at me, “you did well. Connor was right you are a good leader.”
“Thanks. But most days I don’t feel like one,” I say.
“Well, things are stressful and you have to make a lot of tough choices. But you do what you need to do, and unlike many others you do what’s best for us as a whole rather then what makes us happy, ” Natalie tries to comfort me.
“I got almost two hundred people killed evacuating a bunker. Your friends,” I argue.
“They were dead anyway,” She says.
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
“Our food situation was actually worse than you were told,” She sighs, “our rations were basically depleted. Our scout teams were having more and more trouble finding any food, much less enough for a whole bunker. I knew we were doomed staying there, but I kept my mouth shut not wanting to cause any problems. We would have starved to death long before the Zombies would have breached our security.”
“Everyone in the bunker was willing to sacrifice everything for a false since of security?” I question.
“There were only a few of us who actually knew the food situation. Emmanuel, Matthew, and myself to be precise,” she replies.
“Matthew knew that the food was running out? But he fought the idea of leaving. Actually, I think he still resents me for getting everyone out of there,” I growl.
“Yeah well, Matthew is a shit head,” Natalie smirks.
“I’ve noticed,” I say sharing a laugh with her.
She continues to smile until Connor starts to grunt in his sleep. Her attention turns to his sleeping body, I urge her to go to him. She smiles before thanking me again for our talk before creeping over to Connor, stroking his head and calming him down. I turn my attention back to the window watching the rain fall, feeling a little bit better about our current situation.
Chapter 19
October 24th, 2037
The rain had stopped a few days ago, freeing us from our drafty farm house setting. The weather is warm and slightly sticky, even in this late October date. I’ve never been this far south before, it feels like a whole new setting. It even smells different, with wild flowers still in bloom releasing a sweet smell that is almost relaxing. Connor says we are almost in South Carolina. I’m slightly surprised by that because North Carolina as of now has been quite uneventful. Not that I’m complaining about the slight peace and calm surroundings, but I have learnt that usually the quiet places normally cause us the most pain and grief.
“Where are we even going?” Matthew complains from the back of the pack.
“I’m not sure yet,” I reply.
“Well you better figure it out soon,” Kennedy bitches, “it’s going to be dark soon.”
“I know,” I grumble.
“There is an old base, Fort Bragg near Fayetteville,” Connor says speaking up, “if it’s empty it might be a good place to camp out.”
“Are you sure that it’ll be safe there?” Penelope asks.
“Yeah,” Connor nods, “chances are if anyone from the base survived they are either in a bunker acting as security, or have left.”
“What about weapons?” Natalie asks hopefully.
“Not likely. Any survivors most likely cleared out the armory,” Connor answers.
“How do you know about this place?” Matthew asks snidely.
“I trained here right after high school,” Connor answers keeping his cool.
“What if this place is overrun by Zombies? Did you think of that?” Matthew continues to rant from the back.
“Honey maybe you should relax a little,” Kennedy whispers.
“Sorry if I sound a little rude, but so far since joining your friends I’ve watched everyone I care about die,” Matthew starts, “dragged into another bunker where we were almost wiped out by a deranged military super, all for what? Supposed safety in a bunker in Florida? What do we know about it? What do we know about this fort we are headed for now? Nothing! And I’m supposed to just trust them?”
“No,” Kennedy answers, “but you are supposed to trust me.”
“That’s hard to do when you just follow them blindly,” Matthew hisses.
I can’t handle listening to his whining any longer. I stop dead in my tracks and turn around my fist clenched as tight as possible as I crack him hard in the side of the face. “Shut up,” I yell, “Alright? If you are just going to continue complaining then you can just leave. We don’t need you, or your negativity.”
“Damian you don’t have to be such a dick,” Kennedy growls from her knees, tending to Matthew’s bruised cheek.”
“He’s right though,” Penelope says, “Matthew has been nothing to our team but dead weight.”
“You stay out of this you slut,” Kennedy barks.
“There is no need for name calling,” Connor orders, “now get along or I’ll separate you all.”
Fanny pulls me and Penelope away from the rest of the group, bringing us over to the shady side of a tree. I look back at the group, Jeremy has a worried look on his face as Connor begins to lecture Kennedy and Matthew.
“Why did you do that?” Fanny asked.
“I don’t know,” I sigh, “he just pisses me off so much sometimes.”
“But I thought you said you’d do anything for this team. That we were a family,” Fanny rambles.
“I know. I’m sorry, I really am,” I sigh again, “I didn’t mean it.”
“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to him,” Fanny rations, “and Kennedy too.”
“I didn’t do anything to her,” I defend.
“Your right,” Penelope says cutting Fanny off, “we did. And maybe it’s time we all made peace.”
“But we didn’t do anything wrong,” I debate.
“Then do it for me,” Penelope says with a half-smile.
“Do it for us,” Fanny says taking my hand.
“Fine,” I say giving in. These two girls really know how to tug on my heart strings.
I
take a few minutes straggling around before finally walking over to the rest of the group. Pride is building in my chest, I hate admitting when I’m wrong, and especially when I don’t think I was. But instead others played on my emotions and forced me to do it.
“What do you want?” Kennedy snarls.
“To apologize to you and Matthew,” I force myself to say.
“Do you mean it?” Kennedy asks, not letting her guard down.
“Yes,” I nod, “I let my emotions get the best of me, and I’m sorry.”
Kennedy and Matthew glare at me, it’s almost as if they know I’m lying.
“The bible teaches us forgiveness,” Matthew sighs, “so let me be the first to accept your apology.” He reaches out his hand for mine, I hesitantly accept his hand to make peace.
“What about you?” I ask Kennedy.
“No,” She utters, “you hurt me in such a way that I can’t just let go just because you want to get along.”
“Fine then,” I say, “that’s fair.”
“Perhaps we should continue on?” Jeremy says, “I don’t think I want to be out here when it gets dark.”
Kennedy helps Matthew to his feet and follows Connor as he starts back on his way.
“I wouldn’t worry about the Zombies,” Natalie says softly to Jeremy, “after all of this, I’d be more worried about being locked up in a house with them.”
We reached Fort Bragg a little after sun down. Connor walks though the fort with his head held high and his gun held higher. There are a lot of different buildings surrounding us, each one we pass fills me with a little more anxiety.
“Are we going to have to check each building?” Fanny asks, sharing my worry.
“No we should be fine if we just stick with the barracks and mess hall,” Connor says.
“What about light?” I ask, “I’m guessing there isn’t a way to keep a fire going.”
“The supply room should have a portable generator, or possibly a lantern,” He reasons.
“Alright, so what’s the plan?” I ask.
Omega Virus (Book 1): Surviving the Horror Page 17