CHAPTER FOUR
Jeremy headed to the common room. He wanted some coffee to perk him up this morning. He already felt himself becoming agitated; he was going to be pissed if they were out. The military rationed out the coffee from week to week. It was getting harder and harder to get the foods each of them wanted. The way things were looking, the rations they had this month would not last long.
Jeremy rounded the corner and searched the seats of the common room before entering the hallway. Sam and Ian were sitting on a couch talking to each other intently. Ian looked pretty worse for wear today. These days it seemed that they were taking more from those two, than anyone else in the group. He didn’t exactly fancy a confrontation with Ian, but he doubted he’d have much trouble from him. Jeremy quietly went in search of his caffeine fix. If it were there, he would grab a cup and head back to his room. He would not stay and cause an awkward situation.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ian noticed as Jeremy came into view of the room. He watched as he covertly glanced around and made a quick dash towards the coffee pot. Jeremy gripped his cup and poured himself a steaming cup of coffee. They still weren’t speaking to each other, but Ian felt he had the right to know what has been going on with the experiments the scientists were conducting. Ian saw a piece of paper and a pen lying next to him on a coffee table. He picked them up and began writing down what he had learned, trying not to forget a single detail. When he was finished, he shakily stood up and walked over to Jeremy at the food station. Acting as if he were getting himself a cup of coffee, he slipped the note next to Jeremy’s cup. Ian didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he scooped up his drink and walked back to Sam. She stood up sluggishly and took his hand as they headed back to their room.
CHAPTER SIX
Jeremy frowned when he noticed that Ian placed a folded up piece of paper next to his coffee. Ian didn’t say a word to him, he didn’t even look at him. He just walked away like he didn’t exist. Feeling perturbed, Jeremy followed him with his curious brown eyes as he left the room.
“What the hell?” He wondered as he scooped up his coffee and took a sip.
Instead of opening the note in the common room, Jeremy decided he’d take it to his room where he had more privacy. As he reached his door, Jeremy automatically searched the hall for onlookers. Satisfied that no one had followed him, he walked into his room and went straight to the bathroom. As far as he knew, there weren’t any cameras in this room. Closing himself in, he sat down on the toilet and opened the note.
“I have just gotten word that we are being administered the virus soon. “They,” say they think we have the cure. Sam and I are not sure if we want to take our chances with believing our source. So, I think it best we have a talk about the situation.”
Jeremy crumbled up the note and threw it in the toilet, flushing it without hesitation.
“Where could Ian have gotten this information?” Jeremy thought.
“Why would anyone help their group?”
They had been here a year already, and no one has shown a sign of remorse. Jeremy splashed some cool water on his face and brushed his teeth, trying to gather his thoughts. Tonight he would find Ian, and they would talk. He already knew what he had to do. It was just going to take some convincing with the rest of the group. This time though, Ian wasn’t going to take over at the last crucial moment. He’d be damned sure of that.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ian opened the door to his room and stepped inside. He hastily grabbed a shirt and pair of pants to change into. The hospital gown they’d given him made him feel like an invalid, and it was quite drafty in the back. In the middle of changing, he saw his door open. It was Sam, and she was carrying a bowl of food in her small hands. The smell of strong spices and dog food wafted through the room, and he sighed. They were down to canned food now.
“That for me?” He asked pointing to the bowl in Sam’s hands while sliding onto his bed. He only had time to slip his jeans on. The thin foam mattress gently absorbed his weight making him acutely aware of the differences between it and the hospital bed he had been contained to. He never thought he would miss this bed.
“Yep, you looked like you needed it,” She said with a smile. She handed him the bowl and sat down beside him.
“What are we going to do? We can’t leave here. We would be complete idiots if we tried. And even if we made it, we would surely die out there with them.” She said. Her face was alive with doubt.
“I’m not sure what we will do. I think you’re right, though. We have no choice but to trust Charlotte. We are going to have to look at this as an opportunity to save lives”’ He told her. He looked into Sam’s worried eyes and remembered how much he had missed her. She was his rock. Nothing could faze him while she was around. They had gotten so close since they were taken prisoner. Luckily, they were allowed to socialize. Without her, he would have given up on hope a long time ago. She gave him something to live for. Even with all of the rigorous testing and sleepless nights… As long as he had her, Ian could withstand anything.
A small tap from the other room broke his gaze with Sam. She got up and walked closer to the door.
“Who is it?” She questioned, as she placed her ear to the thick wood.
“Jeremy!” The voice growled impatiently.
Sam looked to Ian. They had an unspoken understanding of how things needed to go with this conversation. They knew their stance on things, but Jeremy could be bull headed. Sam opened the door and let him in.
“Come to the bathroom with me.” Jeremy ordered Ian. Ian knew that Jeremy still held a sense of self-entitlement about what happened between them at the school. Whenever he got the chance, he still bossed Ian around like a dog.
Ian gave Jeremy a surprised look while wondering why he wanted to be accompanied to the bathroom. Ian rolled his eyes at Sam and she shrugged. He followed obediently; he wasn’t looking for trouble today. After all, he needed Jeremy to go along with their plan. Once inside, Jeremy sat on the edge of the tub. Ian decided he would sit on the toilet. The further away he could be, the better he felt in the cramped room. They were already way too close for comfort.
“There is no cameras or audio in the bathrooms. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not. So, it’s the safest place to talk.” Jeremy huffed with distaste.
‘So, what happened today?’ Jeremy questioned immediately. He didn’t even wait for Ian to speak. It surprised Ian because Jeremy always chose to argue over the past instead of talk about the future. Today, he seemed to be trying to keep the peace.
Ian took a deep breath while debating on what to say. Jeremy was no friend of his and the only reason he was willing to discuss this with him was because, as the leader, it was his place to make sure everyone was taken care of and aware of what was going on.
“Charlotte told me they are checking for immunities to the virus. She said they thought that we may have the cure. They want to be sure. So, they are going to give us the virus soon. Just like I said in the note.” Ian added with a smirk.
“And you believe her because…?” Jeremy asked with an icy glare. Ian understood the distrust that Jeremy had towards the employees here. They were neglectful and secretive. This was the first communication they had received since arriving here.
“She acted as though she wanted to help us and wants us to stick it out. She said it’ll be over soon.” Ian mentioned as he watched a look of surly disbelief cross Jeremy’s face. Nothing he said would sound good to Jeremy. It was as if anything Ian stood for… Jeremy would be against it. He felt like they were children at times, arguing over the best toy or who would get to be the leader in the game they were playing.
“They’ve never wanted to help us before! Why are they doing this now? What’s changed to put the ball in our favor?” Jeremy yelled as Ian watched his face turn a dark shade of crimson.
“I know.” Ian sighed, “I told her that.” He commented, trying to keep his cool.
“She understood why we
wouldn’t believe her, but what choice do we have Jeremy? It’s not like we have weapons to defend ourselves and what if they are right? What if we have the cure? We could save very important lives. We are going to have to start humanity over. We need this cure!” Ian loudly finished.
He did his best not to cause more problems with his attitude, but it was the only way to get through to Jeremy. He was so damned stubborn. If you weren’t on his level, but then he wouldn’t respect you.
“I can’t believe you would just sit idly by while they just turn us into one of those mindless corpses!” Jeremy huffed sounding extremely frustrated. His lips were pursed and he had his arms crossed over his chest. He gave off the look of an extremely upset toddler.
“I’m not going to do that! I will not succumb to this injustice! I am finding a way out of here! If you don’t want to come, you can just stay here and die with the rest of them!” He stated as he stood up and tried to pace the room. There was so little space that he took two steps and then stopped.
Ian raised a hand to quiet Jeremy. He wasn’t letting him leave until he’d said his piece.
“No one ever said that you were getting the virus. It’s Sam and I they want. So just cool your jets a bit, eh?” Ian suggested. He felt himself relax a bit as Jeremy considered his words.
“I don’t really give a shit who or what they are after. We would be next! If you’re not with me, you’re against me!” Jeremy snarled. He glared angrily at Ian and reached for the bathroom door. He opened it and slammed it shut behind him. The door hit so hard that it bounced back open and Ian watched as Jeremy stormed out of the room.
“What the hell happened?” Sam asked when Ian walked into the room again. She went over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“He can’t be yelling like that…. They can still hear us.” Sam whispered to Ian. Her soft voice penetrated his lobes with a sweet resonance.
“I doubt they were listening. They would have been in here already.” Ian whispered back. He pulled her in tighter against his chest, enjoying the feel of her body against his.
“He’s going to give us trouble.” Ian sighed. He put his hand under Sam’s chin and lifted her face towards his.
“We’ll keep an eye on him, ok?” She nodded and he pressed his lips to hers. Their tongues twined together and his body stirred. He pulled back with a grin.
“You feel like a shower?”
Sam smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
“Sure, grab the towels.” She told him. Ian smiled at her and ambled into the bathroom.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jeremy decided to take matters into his own hands. What he wanted for the group would never appease Ian.
“And who cares.” He thought grumpily to himself. He didn’t respect a single word that came out of Ian’s mouth. The only thing on his mind at the moment was getting out of this hell hole. The temptation was pulling at him much stronger now than ever before. After hearing what they were planning on doing to Ian and Sam, Jeremy would do just about anything to get free. Even if that meant he would be doing it alone.
Jeremy rounded the long white hallway as it turned down a familiar area. It was the doorway to Jerry’s room. He knocked three times and took a step back so that Jerry could see his face. He waived nonchalantly and threw a smile over his face; trying to bring the guise of a warm welcome for Jerry to see through the peephole. It took a lot to even get Jerry to come to the door these days. So, not that many people still visited him. He had, after all, become quite attached to his room, never really leaving it for anyone or anything. Jeremy stood there shifting his feet and biting his lip, waiting for Jerry to come to the door.
After a minute or two, Jerry stirred. The first thing Jeremy noticed was the he looked exhausted. He had a deep purple lining underneath his eyes and his skin loosely hung from his body.
“He had better be eating the food I leave for him every day.” Jeremy scowled as he bit down on his lip. Jerry held the door open for Jeremy, inviting him into his quarters. He walked passed Jerry and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“How ya doing’ buddy?” Jeremy asked as he moved inside. He immediately covered his nose and mouth as the decaying stench of rotting trash assaulted his nose.
“That’ll help for now,” Jeremy mumbled to himself.
He took a glance around the room and saw that it was a wreck. There were books strewn all over the floor. There was something smeared on the walls. Jeremy gagged, he was pretty sure that it was feces by the smell of it. The floor was strewn with dusty food cans, and a mountain of moldy clothes was off to the side. It smelled disgusting like nothing Jeremy had ever smelled before. He assumed the smell was similar to a trash dump that had been sitting in the scorching sun for weeks. Tears began streaming down Jeremy’s weathered face. He wiped them away quickly so Jerry wouldn’t see and turned to face him.
“Jerry…You alright man?” He asked with concern in his voice. He wanted to sit down but, he didn’t think that was such a good idea. He felt like he would catch something just breathing the air inside the room.
“Yeah, I am alright.” Jerry answered dreamily. He sounded as though his mind were far away from the conversation Jeremy was trying to spark up. Jeremy tried to get a better look at him, but his long blonde hair was in front of his blue eyes. Slowly, Jerry bent down and picked up a bowl of chili that Jeremy had left outside his door a few hours ago.
“I can get you fresh food.” Jeremy offered, as he watched Jerry shovel a spoonful into his mouth. He could see that it had become crusty and stale from the neglect of being left out in the open... Jeremy looked away out of disgust and nearly threw up in his mouth. He fought back the urge and eventually turned back to see Jerry’s satisfied face as he heard him chew on the crunchy chili.
“It must have had all kinds of bacteria growing inside of it by now. He should be more worried about getting sick with everything they give us in the labs!” Jeremy thought as he suddenly remembered why he had come.
Jeremy knew that Jerry managed to smuggle in a few things from his bag before the military could get to him at the school. He didn’t know how he did it and didn’t want to know. He just needed one thing from him and hopefully, with the condition of the room being what it was, he would be able to find it.
“Jerry, do you have that lighter that you snuck passed the guards from the school?” He asked, raising a hand in the air and waving it trying to pull Jerry’s attention from the bowl of chili. It was no use; Jerry was too worried about reaching the last bite of food to notice Jeremy’s efforts. He watched with discontent as Jerry took his index finger and traced the rim of the bowl for any leftover chili. He popped his finger into his mouth and sucked it clean. Jerry had no intentions of listening to Jeremy at the moment.
Jeremy looked around the room attempting to search for it on his own and realized he had better give up. The condition of the room was far worse than words could describe.
Jerry got up and set his bowl down onto the floor. He fumbled with his pockets for a few seconds before remembering where he had left the lighter. Snapping his fingers happily, he walked over to the dirty pile of clothing and cans. He nearly toppled over as he tripped on a dirty pair of green gym shoes that were precariously lying in the middle of the floor. Jerry dove in and started navigating through the trash. Jeremy saw him pulling the pocket of an old pair of jeans inside out until he staggered back with the lighter clutched in his hand. He couldn’t contain his excitement as he rushed over to Jeremy with it.
“Here you go!” Jerry chirped as he proudly handed it over. He seemed so much like a kid these days. After all of the testing and probing, he wasn’t the same person anymore. He was a pyrotechnics expert and could no longer make a smoke bomb, which was usually elementary for him. His brain had to be fried from the testing. This is one reason Jeremy knew that Jerry could never leave this place. Not that he would do it, but given the chance, Jerry would rather die here. And Jeremy couldn’t have weak minded peo
ple following him. One reason he wouldn’t invite Susan or her son, Jamie, to tag along with him. No, his good friend wouldn’t last a day in the apocalypse as he is now. It pained Jeremy to see him this way, but he had an answer that would do away with his suffering.
“If I intend on getting out, I’m not leaving him this way.” Jeremy decided to himself.
“It’s the least I can do for him.” Jeremy reasoned. Now, all that he needed was a distraction and Jerry could serve that purpose.
Jerry handed the lighter off to Jeremy. The excitement he felt as it reached his palm was irreplaceable. He had been waiting for this day for so long, and now, he was about to start a revolution. It was just too bad that his right-hand man, someone he thought he would never lose, had to be gotten rid of. Jerry was too much of a burden to benefit Jeremy in any way and he couldn’t just leave him here to rot.
Jeremy placed his hand on Jerry’s shoulder. Jerry flinched at the contact. He was no longer the man he used to be. Instead, he was just a weak reflection of his former self,
“Just makes my job easier.” Jeremy thought.
Jeremy saw an empty glass sitting on Jerry’s dresser behind him. He continued to talk to Jerry as a distraction while inching his way over to it. He trusted Jeremy with his life, and now, he was about to relinquish it.
Jeremy quickly grabbed the glass and squeezed it lightly into his palm. He could feel it’s cool, sleek surface rubbing against his skin. The knowledge of what he was about to use it for made it seem heavy in his hand. Jeremy brushed that thought aside and without warning raised the glass up to Jerry’s eye and rammed it into it full force. He could feel the glass shatter in his hands and cut away at his palms as he drove it into Jerry’s beady eye. Jeremy felt a sense of satisfaction wash over him. He was enjoying himself more than he thought he would. He didn’t care about the pain from the glass slicing through his own skin. He had a job to do; saving his own life. Yes, he would be selfish about it because it was his life and nobody else’s. He would be the only person left out of the group to take charge of this situation. A small part of him still felt sorry for Jerry. Who was now lying face down on the floor convulsing.
Scarlet Memories (Book 2): Metamorphosis Page 3