by Cross, Amy
“This pit,” Quinn replies. “Is it beyond the eastern point?”
“In the area that everyone's been told not to go,” I tell her. “Exactly.”
“And what's he planning to do with all these creatures?”
“I don't know,” I reply. “I'm not even sure that he knows yet, but he's determined to keep them alive.”
“That doesn't sound too healthy,” she mutters. “I was hoping that the creatures had completely died off by now. They certainly seemed to be becoming scarce.”
“I don't think they can survive alone,” I tell her, “but when someone's looking after them, they seem to be able to get by.”
“They should all be killed,” Quinn replies. “I value all life, I wouldn't even kill a bug, but those things... They all need to be wiped out as quickly as possible.”
“I agree,” I tell her, “but how do we do it?”
“Easy,” she says, taking a deep breath. “With fire.”
Elizabeth
“Lizzie, it's time.”
Looking over at the door, I see that my father is waiting for me.
“Time for what?” I ask.
“To go. The helicopter's waiting.”
“I can't leave Toad,” I tell him. “Please, you have to try one more time to find him!”
“Lizzie, it's futile. There are thousands of acres of forest around this base, and the storm caused huge mudslides. It'd take weeks for us to manage even a cursory check.”
“Can't you use infra-red or something like that?”
“Lizzie -”
“We can't leave him!”
He stares at me for a moment, before stepping into the room and sliding the door shut.
“I know this might seem crazy,” I continue, sitting up on the bed, “and I've only known him for a few weeks, but I can't just go off and leave him here. He helped me, he saved my life... I have to do the same for him.”
“You can't.”
“I can! I can find a way to get out there and -”
“It's too late,” he says firmly.
“No, it's not too late. There has to be something I can do to -”
“He's dead.”
I stare at him for a moment. “You don't know that,” I say finally, although a cold shiver just passed through my body. “Don't say things like that.”
“We found his body last night,” he continues. “I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want you to get upset. I thought that at least if you had some lingering hope, you'd feel better. I was trying to protect you, sweetheart.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, he reaches out and takes my hands in his. “I don't want to get into the details -”
“Tell me,” I reply, fighting to keep from bursting into tears.
“Lizzie -”
“Tell me!” I shout, pulling my hands away. My voice is trembling now, but I can't bring myself to believe what he's saying, not yet. There has to have been some kind of mistake.
“He was about half a mile from the house where you were picked up,” he continues. “A mudslide got him, it looks like he drowned. It would have been fairly quick and hopefully not too painful.”
“You're wrong,” I reply, refusing to believe any of this. “You've found someone else, there's some kind of mistake...”
“It was him, Lizzie.”
“How do you know?”
“Based on your description and the fact that there really aren't too many idiots wandering around out there. What color clothes was he wearing, again?”
“Jeans,” I reply cautiously, “and a checkered blue shirt”.
As soon as I say those words, I can see the sadness in his eyes.
“No,” I continue, shaking my head. “You're wrong...”
“I'm so sorry,” he continues, taking my hands one more time. “It was him.”
“I want to see him,” I tell him, my voice trembling with shock.
“That's not possible,” he replies. “The body was covered as a mark of respect, but it wasn't extracted from the site.”
“Then you have to take me there and -”
“No, Lizzie.”
“I want to see him!”
“You can't.” He pauses for a moment. “Lizzie, think about it for a moment. You don't want to go out there into the forest just so some of my men can dig through the mud and...” Another pause. “I'm sorry, truly I am, and I probably should have told you from the outset, but I was trying to save your feelings. That was a mistake, and I apologize.”
I try to answer, but I feel as if my whole body is completely frozen. As my shoulders start to shake, I realize that it's the same sensation I felt when Henry died a couple of months ago. Unable to help myself, I start sobbing wildly, and my father puts his arms around me in an attempt to help. All I can think about is Toad, drowning out there in the dark mud as he tried to get back to me. I was so sure that he'd survive, that nothing out there could ever hurt him, and now he's gone. Leaning against my father's chest, I try to say something but all that comes out of my mouth is a kind of low, pained cry.
“We've all lost people, honey,” he says after a moment, running a hand through my hair. “We just have to focus on the people who are left.”
***
“The journey to Boston will take about four hours,” my father explains a short while later as he leads me out onto the roof of the building, where an army helicopter is already waiting. “We can do it in one hop, so we should arrive around midnight. Flying at night isn't ideal in these conditions, but I don't want to wait a moment longer than necessary.”
Limping alongside him, I stare at the helicopter and try to empty my mind. All I can think about, however, is Toad, and when I glance at one of the soldiers nearby, I can tell that he knows I've been crying. I must look completely pathetic.
“Things are going to be a lot better once we're in Boston,” my father continues. “The facilities are better, and we're starting to rebuild a kind of normal life. The city's relatively clean and work is already progressing. Wait 'til you see it, Lizzie. The bare bones of a proper city are already in place again, it'll really restore your faith in humanity's ability to survive.”
“Rachel,” I whisper, stopping suddenly and looking around. “Where's Rachel?”
“Who?” he asks.
“The baby,” I continue, turning back to him. “She's coming with us, right?”
“She has to stay here for now,” he tells me. “Given that we don't yet know whether she's been exposed to the sickness, we have to monitor her for as long as necessary. Boston has been declared a safe-zone, so we can't risk any kind of contamination.”
“But -”
“She'll be properly cared for,” he continues, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Everyone here knows that children are our future. You trust me, don't you?”
“Of course, it's just -”
“Assuming she's given the all-clear after a few weeks, she'll be taken to Boston, or maybe to another city if we've got more to choose from, and someone will be found to look after her.”
“I thought I'd take care of her,” I tell him, shocked by the idea that I might never see her again. “She's used to me!”
“She's a baby,” he replies. “She's not even used to having her eyes open yet.”
I look back at the door that leads into the building, but I know there's no way he'll change his mind.
“What about Doctor Kennedy?” I ask, turning back to him. “Dad, I saw -”
“Doctor Kennedy is also under observation,” he explains. “The unfortunate scene you witnessed earlier was an isolated incident in which an infected patient managed to escape from a treatment room. It's truly tragic that Doctor Kennedy was contaminated, but there's still a chance she can make a recovery. We're working on some drugs that might reverse the progress of the illness and we've already made several major advances.”
“It's time, Sir,” says General Patterson, standing nearby.
“You've never been in a helicopter before, have
you?” my father says, patting me on the shoulder. “Come on, it'll be exciting!”
As he heads over to the helicopter and opens the door on the side, I turn to Patterson.
“You're better off in Boston,” he says, with a sympathetic smile. “This is a military facility, and as you saw today, it's one that's struggling to deal with a major catastrophe. From what I've heard, Boston is at least trying to get back to some semblance of normality. And don't worry, if your friend happens to show up, I promise I'll let him know where you are. I'll even arrange for him to ship out with us.”
“Didn't my Dad tell you?” I reply, close to tears. “The soldiers found Toad's body in the forest.”
“They did?” He pauses, clearly shocked. “I had no idea.”
“Come on,” my father says, hurrying over and taking me by the hand, “we need to stick to our schedule.”
“I'm sorry about your friend,” Patterson says, glancing at my father. “Sir, I -”
“We'll be in touch about the incident earlier,” my father tells him. “It was completely unacceptable and there are going to have to be significant changes around here.”
“Absolutely!”
Leading me into the helicopter, my father takes a moment to strap me into my seat before sliding the door shut and leaning forward to tap the pilot's shoulder.
I open my mouth to ask him about Toad again, but before I get a chance he grabs some headphones and puts them over my ears. At the same time, the helicopter's engine comes to life, and I look up just in time to see the rotor blades starting to turn. I wait a moment, almost hypnotized as I watch the blades spinning faster and faster, and then finally there's a bump as we start to rise up from the top of the building. Turning to look out the window, I watch as General Patterson heads back inside, and then the helicopter swings out over the side and flies across the yard before rushing out over the forest.
“Try to get some rest!” my father shouts, tapping my shoulder. “It's going to be a long journey and you'll have a lot to take in once we get to Boston!”
Looking down, I watch as the treetops flash past below us. For a moment, I spot a dilapidated building nestled in the forest, and I think it might actually be the farmhouse where Toad and I holed up with Rachel on that final, disastrous night. Feeling as if I might burst into tears again, I lean back in my seat and close my eyes, and I think of Toad once again before allowing myself to whisper a final word:
“Goodbye.”
Day 56
Elizabeth
“You're an idiot,” Henry says, slumping down onto the sofa next to me. “You know that, right? You can't see what's right in front of your face!”
“Don't argue!” Mom calls through from the kitchen.
“You haven't even got your eyes open,” Henry continues, nudging me in the arm. “Open your eyes!”
“What do you think these are?” I ask, leaning toward him with my eyes open wide.
“You're really ugly,” he says with a smile. “I don't know why Toad ever liked you!”
“Shut up!”
“Hey!” my father says, leaning into the room. “Didn't you hear what your mother just said? Stop arguing!”
“He told me I'm ugly!” I reply, as Henry laughs. “And he said I'm an idiot!”
“I was just pointing out that she can't see the truth,” Henry continues. “It's so easy to fool her.”
“That's enough from both of you,” my father says. “Lizzie, it's time to wake up.”
“What do you mean?” I ask with a frown. Glancing toward the window, I realize I can hear a strange kind of whooshing sound.
“Lizzie,” my father continues, “wake up, we're here.” He pauses for a moment, as if he's waiting for me to say or do something. “Lizzie,” he says again, with his voice suddenly sounding much closer and slightly rougher, “check out the view. We're here. We've reached Boston.”
Blinking a couple of times, I suddenly realize that everything around me is starting to shimmer, as if light is breaking through cracks in the walls. A moment later, I turn my head and see that my father is sitting right next to me in the helicopter. Figuring that I must have been dreaming, I sit bolt upright as the noise from the spinning rotor fills my ears, and finally I look out the window and see that night has fallen, with just a few lights burning in the darkness below.
“Where are we?” I ask, still feeling as if I'm half-asleep. “What... I don't...”
“Where do you think we are? Boston.”
Feeling the helicopter lurch for a moment, I realize that we're starting to descend.
“Where?” I ask, still looking for all the lights that should mark the city. It takes a moment before I remember that everything has changed, and finally I realize that the only lights come from a few fires that are burning on rooftops, one of which we're slowly heading toward. It almost feels as if we're slowly descending into one of the layers of hell.
“I thought it was better to let you sleep,” my father continues, leaning closer so I can hear him properly above the sound of the rotor. “You must still be exhausted after everything that's happened and, well, there's not going to be much time to rest over the next few days either. Things are going to be pretty full-on.” He puts a hand on my shoulder. “Welcome back to civilization, Lizzie, or at least to the best approximation we can manage. I know it's not perfect right now, but we're making real progress every day. Soon, we'll be back at the stage where we can focus on moving forward, instead of just fighting to survive, and that's what sets us apart from common animals.”
I watch as we get closer and closer to a small bonfire on one of the rooftops, and finally the helicopter lands with a gentle bump. As the blades start to wind down, I spot movement near the bonfire, and I tense for a moment before realizing that maybe I don't need to be quite so scared anymore. More than a month after I walked out of New York, I'm back in a major city, and it's almost as if the real world is slowly coming back to life.
“There are no more of those creatures, are there?” I ask, turning to my father. “They're all gone, right?”
“Maybe not all of them,” he replies, “but I can guarantee that there are none in this city. We've secured the perimeter and nothing gets in or out without special clearance. It makes life difficult sometimes, but we figure the best approach is to batten down the hatches and focus on survival. Charity can come later.”
With the blades coming to a halt now, a couple of figures hurry toward the helicopter and one of them slides the door open.
“Charles!” my father says, taking off his headset. “I want you to meet my daughter, Elizabeth Marter!”
“Welcome to Boston,” the guy says, grinning as he reaches out to shake my hand.
“Charles is in charge of accommodation,” my father explains, taking my headset away. “Among other things, anyway. It's his job to ensure that everyone has somewhere safe, warm and dry to sleep.”
“In other words,” Charles continues, unbuckling my straps and then reaching up to help me down, “I fix leaks and kill rats. It's not exactly glamorous work, but someone has to do it.”
As he helps me out of the helicopter, I see that a woman is standing nearby with a wheelchair, which I guess is for me.
“I can walk,” I tell her. “It's fine.”
“Nonsense,” Charles continues, grabbing the wheelchair and bringing it closer before taking me by the waist and lowering me onto the seat. “Alison and I spent quite a while banging this thing back into shape, so you might as well use it, at least until Doctor Sukan has seen you.”
“Listen to the man,” my father says as he climbs out of the helicopter. “Lizzie, I have to go and run through a debrief with some of my colleagues. The incident at Mitchfield needs to be investigated, and we have to put measures in place to ensure that it can't ever happen again. You'll be okay with Charles and Alison, though. They're our official welcoming party for any new arrivals in the city.” He leans down and kisses the top of my head. “Welcome home, honey.
I can't tell you how glad I am to have you back. There was a moment when I thought...”
He pauses, before taking a step back.
“I'll see you in a few hours,” he adds, “when the sun's up. You're going to be amazed, Lizzie, we've made so much progress. For now, just try not to strain yourself.”
“You must be so glad to be back among other people,” Charles says, wheeling me over to a door as my father goes in the other direction. “I heard you were out in the forest for a while by yourself. That must have been terrifying.”
“I wasn't by myself,” I reply, bristling at the idea that people are already trying to get me to forget about Toad. “I had help.”
“Still, it's safer here. We have a really tight security system in place.”
“You're the first new arrival for over a week,” Alison says, hurrying past and holding the door open so that Charles can wheel me into the building. “With the quarantine procedures we've set up, we were starting to think we wouldn't see any fresh faces for a long time. No-one gets in without permission.”
“This is going to be bumpy,” Charles continues, turning me around in the dark space beyond the door. “Sorry, but there's no other way. We can't risk running elevators with the power being so intermittent.”
“What are -” I start to ask, before suddenly I feel myself being bumped backwards down a set of stairs with enough force to rattle my teeth. I want to get out and walk, but he's going fast and I figure I'd just hurt myself if I tried to get up, so I hold onto the sides as I'm maneuvered down one set of stairs, then around a corner and down another set, and so on several times over until finally we reach a corridor with dim lights on the walls.
“It's not luxurious,” Charles explains, turning me around again and wheeling me along the corridor, “but it's a home, of sorts.”
“You're lucky,” Alison continues, keeping pace with us. “Most people have to live on the lower floors, and that's where there are more rats. Up here, the living conditions are a little better, but it's reserved for the top officials and their families.”