Another deep breath in and I open the curtain. “Hey, sis.” My voice is muffled some from the mask over my mouth.
She stares at me, her mouth slightly open as she squints in my direction. “James. Is that you?”
I step inside and seal the plastic barrier behind me since it seems to be their protocol. She moves about in her bed. I can hear the bed squeak from her weight shifting about.
I turn back to find Cindy on her knees at the end of the bed. Her hands rest on the round, molded white edge of the frame. She continues to stare at me as if she’s not convinced it’s really me.
Screw protocol.
I don’t really need this thing anyway. If she is contagious in any form or fashion, then I really don’t care. She’s all I have left.
My fingers pinch the front of the mask and pull it down, revealing my face. I smile at her. “It’s really me, Sis.”
The unsure expression covering her face melts away. With eyes wide and a big smile, she holds her arms out to the side.
“JAMES!” she shouts.
I race up to Cindy with arms wide open.
She nearly jumps from the bed to hug me. I wrap my arms tightly around her and squeeze. Clear plastic tubes and wires that are attached to her bounce off my arms.
Cindy sobs into my shoulder. Tears stream down my cheeks as I hold her tighter.
“I thought you were dead,” she whimpers softly. “They left Mom back at that school dad’s friends took us to. They wouldn’t bring her with us no matter how hard I begged and pleaded with them. All they said was that she was infected, but not like me. I miss her terribly, James.”
I cry even harder thinking about Mom and Dad. I have no clue what to say or how to say it.
“I know. But I am here with you now. Your big bro isn’t going anywhere. Ever.”
Cindy finally pulls back. She sits back on her feet and wipes the tears away. She shudders and exhales a deep sigh. “I still can’t believe you’re really here.”
I sniffle, then wipe away the tears from my face with the backs of my hands. “It’s been a tough road to get here, but I wasn’t going to give up. We went to the cabin first to look for you and Mom. Then, we went to the safe zone once we discovered that the both of you weren’t there. From there, we set out checking all of the places that the military could have brought you. A source at the safe zone recalled the military taking you away before the place got overrun with chasers.”
“Did you see Mom there? Is she ok?”
Cindy’s voice is thick with hope. Her eyes look upon me as if I have the answer she wants to hear.
I hesitate once more. I chew my bottom lip and divert my eyes.
“Um...”
Cindy stares at me, waiting for an answer. I rub the back of my neck, then look to the plastic barrier, trying to figure out what to say. “She’s um...”
Cindy leans to the right. She cranes her neck, looking to the plastic barrier behind me. “Is Dad and that scruffy dog of ours out there waiting to see me? I need one of Dad’s hugs, and some loving from Duke. I’ve missed his bad breath.” Cindy smiles, then chuckles some.
My eyes swell with tears. I’m defenseless to hold them back. I fight to keep my composure, but the guilt and weight of what I have done eats me alive on the inside. Like an insatiable parasite, it feeds on my torment, and refuses to leave me be.
Hold it together, James. You can’t tell her the truth. Not now.
I repeat that over and over inside my head. Doing so may hurt her more than I can bear. For now, I’ll have to bend the truth. Twist it in a way that will spare her the grief. It may not be the best call, but it’s the one that I feel I should make at the moment. It is my job now to take care of her.
I clear the lump of guilt and sadness from my throat. It’s thick and doesn’t want to go down. I bring my somber gaze back to her.
Cindy sits there with large, hopeful eyes that refuse to deviate. I need to say something now, or she’s going to think something more is wrong.
I blurt it out, and it rolls off my tongue as fluid as I can make it. I try not to appear so sad, but it’s damn hard not to be.
“Mom and Dad are together. They couldn’t make it here with us, but said that they will see us soon. Duke is on the third floor with some people who helped me get here. They wouldn’t allow him in this area for safety reasons.” I force a half smile.
Man, I feel like a jerk.
Cindy keeps staring at me as if she has seen through my deceptive deed. “James. Is there something you aren’t telling me?”
Oh crap.
I shrug, then say,” What do you mean?”
Cindy leans back, then folds her arms across her chest. She cocks her head to the side and purses her lips just like Mom would when she could read right through me.
“I know when you’re lying, James. You’ve done it enough to me that I can tell when you’re doing it. Mom didn’t make it, did she?” Her eyes shine with unshed tears as she waits for my response.
I can’t keep the lie going any further. I have to come clean.
I lower my head in shame, unable to speak the words while making eye contact with her. “She didn’t. The infection took her from us.”
A sniffle escapes her as she asks the other dreaded question. “Is dad and Duke dead as well?”
Tears flow from my eyes as I keep my head tilted toward the bed and away from her.
“Dad died while we were on our hunting trip. Those things attacked us, and he saved me. Duke is fine and is on the third floor like I said a moment ago.”
Her sniffles twist into sadness that spills from her eyes as she deals with the devastating news that has been given.
“I’m sorry, Sis, that I couldn’t save them. I wanted nothing more than to do that.”
Cindy opens her mouth to speak when the lights completely go out. A yelp of fear escapes her lips instead. “James! James! Where are you? What’s going on?”
She thrashes about on the bed wildly. All I can see is a dark splotch moving about in the darkness. The bed creaks as she pants.
I find her arm, and take hold. “I’m right here, Sis. Don’t worry.”
Her small fingers wrap around my wrist. Her nails burrow into my flesh. I stand near the end of the bed as she holds me tightly.
Footsteps pound toward the plastic barrier. I glance back over my shoulder and spot a bright light that is distorted by the material. The center opening is flung open, and Commander Reynolds appears.
He’s holding a mask over his face with the flashlight clutched in his other hand. He doesn’t come in, or tongue lash me for not following his protocol.
“Are you ok?” he sincerely inquires.
Cindy stays glued to my arm. She refuses to let go or give me an inch of space.
“Yeah. What happened to the lights?”
Commander Reynolds glances up briefly, then shrugs. “Not exactly—”
The report of gunfire from close by captures our attention.
Cindy yelps and sinks further into me, if that’s even possible. My body clenches.
Commander Reynolds’s head snaps back over his shoulder at the entrance of the ward. He draws his sidearm. The beam from the flashlight is diverted from us to his left. Half of his body is within the quarantined area while the other half stands in the hall.
“What was that?” Ms. Jones whispers. I can see the vague shape of her outline pressing against the plastic next to him.
He just clutches his sidearm.
A loud crash rips a gasp from our lips.
“Commander!” a panicked voice shouts out.
The soles of Private Carter’s shoes squeak across the floor.
“What is it, Private?” Commander Reynolds’s voice is strained.
“I think we’ve been breached, sir. There’s a chaser in the hall.”
CHAPTER NINE
Oh my God. I hope he’s not right about the chasers being on this floor.
The soldier stands before Commander
Reynolds in full on panic mode. His breathing is escalated. The flashlight’s brilliance shines upon him, offering me and Cindy a glimpse of his frantic hand gestures through the plastic.
“Calm down, Private,” the commander sternly orders. “Get it together, and tell me exactly what happened?”
The soldier turns to the side. He points at the entrance. “Something came out of the shadows from down the hall.”
Commander Reynolds cranes his neck. He peers in the direction of the swinging doors. “You’re one hundred percent sure it was one of the creatures?” His tone is slathered with doubt.
The private diverts his gaze to the floor. He remains silent for a split second before looking back to Commander Reynolds. “I’m pretty sure, sir. I doubt it was anything other than that. The way it moved, slouched over and low to the ground. When I called out, it stopped suddenly, then charged at me. That’s when I opened fire. I think I injured it.”
I gently grab Cindy’s hand and try to pull it free from my wrist. I can’t defend and protect her if she’s latched onto me.
“No, James! Don’t leave me!” She holds on tighter, refusing to let go.
I bring her close and kiss the crown of her head. “I’m just going over there, so I can see what’s happening. I won’t be that far away, ok?”
Cindy hesitates. It takes a few seconds, but she finally releases her hold on me.
I forgot what kind of grip she has. The indentations her nails have left in my skin sting.
“I’ll be right over here. Just wait right there,” I calmly say to her.
She whimpers softly, but complies.
Commander Reynolds trains the light at the double doors. I approach from his left, and poke my head outside of the plastic tarp into the hall.
“Is there really a chaser out there?” I ask in a low tone.
Ms. Jones cringes. She stays hidden behind Commander Reynolds. “How could one of those things have gotten in the building and up on the fifth floor? Wouldn’t someone have seen it, and hopefully killed it before it got all the way up here? Aren’t there soldiers stationed in the stairwell?”
The private points back toward the door. His face is coated with fear. “Not if they’re all dead. What if they’ve gained access below, and everyone down there is dead, or infected?”
Commander Reynolds grabs him by the scruff of his fatigues. He yanks him forward. The private shuts his mouth instantly. He’s but a scant inch away from the commander’s thick, full mustache.
“I said stow that chatter, Private.” A deep, hoarse growl silences the private.
He offers a single nod in compliance. “Sorry, sir.”
Commander Reynolds releases the soldier’s clothing. The private clears his throat. He adjusts his contorted jacket, so it isn’t wadded up.
“You shouldn’t have opened fire. It could’ve been Private Ferris or Ms. Davis heading back this way. With the power going out, it could’ve spooked them. The last thing we need to do is go off halfcocked and start firing our weapons when we don’t have a positive visual on the target. That’s how people die from friendly fire. Right now, we can’t afford to lose more than we already have.” Commander Reynolds turns and looks to me and Ms. Jones. He trains the flashlight at the dead lights that reside above us. “Generator’s probably acting up again.”
A loud cacophony rises from the hall just beyond the double doors, followed by intermittent gunfire. Yellow flashes light up within the darkness that’s visible through the two windows molded inside the double doors.
The private and Commander Reynolds bring their weapons to bear. They take aim at the dense, plastic, swinging doors.
Cindy screeches, which draws my attention back to her. She’s resting on her bottom with her knees bent and tucked close to her chest. Her arms are wrapped around her legs with her face buried in them.
“It’s ok, Cindy. Everything is going to be all right. I promise,” I reassure. I’m just as worried, but I have to remain strong for Cindy. I must be her rock now.
The gunfire ceases completely, and so does the clamoring beyond the doors.
“Do you think we got whatever it was out there?” The private’s tone is shaky, and laced with trepidation.
The commander looks to me and Ms. Jones then glances back to the door briefly. “The private and I are going to go check out whatever that was. You two will stay here with Cindy.”
Ms. Jones cringes. She looks to me, then points to my left in the direction of Cindy. “You’re going to just leave us here alone, and unarmed?”
Commander Reynolds spins to his right on the heels of his boots. He looks to the counter. “You have a two-way radio up here, right?”
Ms. Jones nods, but chews on her bottom lip. “I think Ms. Davis took it with her when they transported Private Buckner’s body over to the far wing. We may have another radio in one of the offices close by.”
Commander Reynolds shifts to the right a bit more and points in the direction of the blackness beyond the nurse’s station. “All right. Go see if you can find that radio, and double time it back here.”
Ms. Jones looks back to the ether of darkness that has swallowed that portion of the building whole, and shudders.
“Here. Take the flashlight with you.”
Ms. Jones holds up her hand, refusing the light. “Just shine it over toward the counter real quick. I think we have one on the other side I can use. You’ll need to keep that one anyway.”
“It’s fine. I have one on my pistol I can use.”
He reaches down and thumbs a switch under the pistol. A sharp beam of light that brightens up the hallway fires off the end of the weapon.
“Give it to James, then. He’ll need it.”
She takes a deep breath, then exhales it through her nose.
Commander Reynolds hands me the flashlight, and trains the beam of light from his pistol at the top of the counter. She walks across the hall toward the nurse’s station as she glances about the darkness.
“What the hell is going on out there?” I whisper under my breath. “Chasers wouldn’t have gotten past your men, would they?”
Commander Reynolds shakes his head. “They shouldn’t have, but there is always the possibility of things going south. That’s why me and Private Carter are going to see what’s happening.” He looks over my shoulder at Cindy. “Stay here with your sister. Once Ms. Jones gets back with her radio, contact Sergeant Jacobson, and inform him of what’s going on up here.”
“Got it,” Ms. Jones calls out. She turns around to face us. Clutched in her hand is a black Maglite that looks like a club.
“All right. Get that radio ASAP, and double time it back here to James. Radio the sergeant immediately.”
“Can we not just come with you?” I inquire.
Commander Reynolds shakes his head sternly. “I’d rather you wait here. We don’t know what’s going on yet, and I don’t want any of you to get caught in any crossfire. You’ll be safer here for the time being.”
Private Carter shoulders his rifle. He twists the weapon to the right slightly, and engages the flashlight that’s mounted under the barrel. His face is thick with fear, eyes wide as he takes a big gulp. He stares at Commander Reynolds, waiting for his orders.
“Remember, stay here, and wait for Ms. Jones. Then radio down to Jacobson. We’ll be back once we’ve made sure everything is secured,” Commander Reynolds says.
I’m not overly keen about being left alone in the dark with no weapon. Wish I had my machete or my grandfather’s Remington 740 Woodsmaster rifle. Especially if there is a chaser loose on this floor.
Still, I follow his command. I can’t risk anything happening to Cindy.
“Copy that. We’d appreciate it if you could hurry back, though,” I say.
“We’ll be back before you know it.” Commander Reynolds holds his right hand in the air. He motions to the private to move out with his index and middle fingers.
The private complies with a tilt of his head. He
adjusts the rifle against his body one last time. His finger slips over the trigger. He makes for the double doors.
Commander Reynolds stays off to his left with his pistol clutched tightly with both of his hands.
The private stops just shy of the door. He moves off to the right of the window that’s built into the makeup of the dense plastic. He inches closer, then cranes his neck. His head twists from left to right.
The commander stands at the ready to his left. He leans against the door, and peers through the window before him.
“James!” Cindy tries to keep her voice low, but it’s louder than anything. “I’m scared. Are there really those creatures out there?”
“Everything’s going to be ok. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.” I stand just inside her room with half of my body out in the hall. I watch the commander and private assess the situation. They give each other a nod, and push the doors open. I look back and shine the light at her.
“Pinky promise?” She holds up her hand and sticks up her little finger.
I glance over to Commander Reynolds and Private Carter as they disappear into the hall. The door barely swings in and out.
“Sure, munchkin.” A half smile spreads across my face. I walk back over to the bed, and wrap my little finger around hers. We shake on it.
“Say you pinky swear, James,” she demands. “It doesn’t count if you don’t say the words.”
“I pinky swear that I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Cindy holds tight for a few seconds before letting go. She stares at me, looking as though she’s trying to see if I’m messing with her like I used to.
“I promise, Cindy. For reals. I’m not playing around.”
The one bad part about always messing with your siblings is that you get conditioned to them acting a certain way. It’s hard to shake.
A crashing sound from the hall breaks our bond. Cindy gasps, then covers her mouth with her hand.
I spin around, and train the flashlight at the clear plastic.
“What was that?” Cindy whispers this time.
“I don’t know.”
I spot no figures moving by the plastic. No footsteps playing off the floor.
Dead State (Book 4): Immune Page 5