Mass Extinction Event (Book 8): Days 109 to 116

by Cross, Amy

  “Sorry,” she says finally, shaking her head as if to get rid of some strange sensation, “where was I?”

  “Where do you go when that happens?” I ask.

  “Where do I go?” She furrows her rotten brow. “Nowhere. Just into darkness. Back to where I was when I was dead on that cell floor, I guess.”

  “Death?” I reply. “What's it like?”

  “It's just... nothing.” She pauses, and now her smile has faded. “But it's not completely nothing,” she adds. “While I'm there, I don't feel it. But when I come back, I remember it. Does that make sense?”

  “Not really,” I tell her.

  “Well, too bad,” she replies, “because that's how it is. It's like... I don't have an awareness of being dead at the time, but I can feel it once I come back. I suppose that might bode well for some distant future, huh?”

  I stare at her.

  She reaches out and pats me on the shoulder.

  “Oh Thomas,” she says with a chuckle, “no matter what happens, I'll always have fond memories of your blunt, confused expression.”

  “We need to get out of this city,” Toad says, “and right now there's only one possible route. We have to get onto that train before it leaves.”

  Elizabeth

  By the time the sun comes up, the screams have become a little rarer and more sporadic. People are still fighting, and plumes of smoke are still rising, but the battle seems to have calmed just a little.

  Huddled behind a set of broken wooden pallets, I try to work out whether or not it's safe to come out. By my reckoning, I'm about three blocks from the bank building, and I figure that's my best destination. There'll be guards there, and soldiers, and maybe I can figure out exactly what's happening. Natalie's revolt might have started out with the best of intentions, but it pretty quickly descended into anarchy and – as the night wore on – I heard cries that sounded barely human. On the few occasions when I saw other people, I lost track of which side they were on. I only saw madness and blood, and I ran every time. I spent the night hiding, but now the streets are empty and I don't think hiding is going to work. Not now. It's not as if Bloom's men really seem to be trying to catch me, anyway. And all I can think about now is that I need to find him and kill him.

  For Natalie.

  Finally, as a cold wind blows along the street, I start slowly getting to my feet. I'm tense, poised to run again if I spot any hint of movement. As if to warn me further, I hear another cry in the distance, but the sound is abruptly cut short.

  With my back against the wall, I start carefully making my way toward the far corner. I glance around, hoping to spot something I can use to defend myself, but all I see is some broken glass. The pieces are too small to be useful, so I head to the corner and peer around into the next street. At least I can see the bank building now, in the distance, although after a moment I spot a human figure slumped on the ground.

  I look over my shoulder, to make sure that there's nobody coming up behind me, and then I watch the figure for a few minutes. The breeze is catching the figure's clothes, causing them to flutter slightly, but even from this distance I feel as if the person is definitely dead. There's a stillness to the scene, and I think I can see a patch of blood. Finally, figuring that I don't have time to find another route, I start very carefully making my way forward.

  As I pass the dead figure, I see to my horror that its head looks to be missing. No, not missing: I see after another moment that the entire skull looks to have caved in, as if it was crushed by a series of blows. In my mind's eye, I imagine several heavy boots crashing down and killing the man – I think it's a man – and I doubt the truth is too far from that scenario. The man has one hand reaching out, as if he died while trying to drag himself away. Pieces of brain and bone are visible in the blood.

  Forcing myself to look away, I head to the next corner and check the scene, and then I continue. The bank building is tantalizingly close now, but I'm convinced that at any moment someone is going to came at me. I'll have to defend myself using my bare hands, and I'm not entirely sure how I ended up without any kind of weapon. Still, with each step I feel a little more hope, and finally – somehow – I actually manage to reach the side of the building.

  I look around one more time and then, unable to hold back for a moment longer – I hurry along the narrow street until I'm almost at the front. And that's when I hear a familiar voice.

  Thomas?

  Stopping at the corner, I peer around, and to my relief I see Thomas making his way across the plaza. Almost immediately, he glances this way and spots me, but for a moment we stare at each other as if we're both a little un-trusting. He looks injured, with bruises and a swollen eye, almost as if he's been tortured.

  Finally he waves at me, frantically gesturing for me to go over and join him.

  “Where have you been?” he asks as I hurry across the plaza. “I thought you were dead!”

  “It's a long story,” I reply, looking around but seeing no sign of anyone nearby. “I think my father's alive but he's not in Boston. I think he went to New York, or maybe Washington. But Natalie's dead.”

  “Who?”

  “Someone who should still be alive. What happened to you?”

  “It's nothing.”

  “You look like -”

  “I'm fine,” he replies, “but we've bigger problems. Patterson's got the vials.”

  “The cure? How?”

  “It's a long story,” he says through gritted teeth. “Boston's going to be overrun soon, it's being deliberately destroyed. Our only hope is to get out on the train that leaves this morning.”

  “But how can we -”

  “Toad's going to get us onboard.”

  “I have to find Bloom,” I reply. “He killed Natalie.”

  “Bloom's gone to the train.”

  “But -”

  “That's what this was all about,” he continues. “Bloom was trying to prove that he's useful, and it's worked. He was determined to be with Patterson on that train when it leaves, and it looks like that's where he'll be. So I guess we're both headed in the same direction.”

  I open my mouth to ask what he means, but at that moment I hear the sound of footsteps over my shoulder. Turning, I see Doctor Carter emerging from the building. She's ravaged, partially rotten and distinctly zombie-like, but then she winks at me. And just a couple of paces behind her, Toad is also coming out of the building, carrying a gun slung over his shoulder.

  “What's he doing here?” I whisper, horrified by the sight of him.

  ***

  “There were supposed to be a lot more soldiers guarding this place,” Toad says as we hurry up the steps at the front of the station, “but most of them got diverted to watch the tracks that lead out of the city. I guess Bloom thinks that's where the real danger is.”

  “That still won't help us get onboard,” Thomas points out. “Look at us.”

  “It's chaos here,” Toad continues, leading us through a gate and onto the platform, where scores of boxes and crates have been left right next to the train, providing us with some cover as the train's whistles get louder at the platform's far end. “Still...”

  He looks around for a moment, before grabbing some tarpaulin from nearby and turning to Carter.

  “Put this on,” he says.

  “Excuse me?” she replies.

  Without waiting, he places the tarpaulin over her.

  “Sorry,” he adds, “but I can probably explain bringing Elizabeth and Thomas onboard if I'm challenged. You, not so much.”

  “I like you,” Carter says, her voice slightly muffled by the tarpaulin. “Remind me to punch you later.”

  “This way,” Toad continues. He briefly glances at me, as if he's about to say something else, and then he heads over to one of the train carriages, where a set of doors have already been left open. “We don't have much time.”

  “Here,” Thomas says, helping Carter as she struggles to find the right direction. I help
too, and we somehow manage to get her all the way to the nearest door. “There's a step.”

  “This is insane,” I point out. “What are we -”

  “Do you want to stay in Boston?” Thomas snaps. “In a city that's falling apart? Even if you somehow manage to survive more fighting, do you want to be here when the zombie swarm arrives?”

  “No, but -”

  “Then this is our best bet!” he continues. “I don't know what we're going to do next either, but at least if we're on the train we have a chance. We can come up with the next plan. And Bloom is supposed to be onboard, so you might even get a shot at him!”

  Suddenly he looks past me, and I turn to see two soldiers heading toward us with their guns aimed in our direction.

  “You're not supposed to be here!” one of them snaps. “Get out of the -”

  “They're with me,” Toad says suddenly, stepping in front of us. “The girl is Doctor Marter's daughter, and the other two are being loaded on the orders of Mr. Bloom. I've got direct authority to get them onto this train.”

  The soldiers hesitate, as if they're not quite certain. And then, before they can ask any more questions, there's another – louder – explosion that shakes the ground, and we all turn to see flames near the entrance to the station.

  “Make sure no-one breaches the gate!” Toad shouts. “Now!”

  The soldiers hurry away, and Toad steps past me and climbs into the train.

  “We have to get out of here,” Thomas says. “I don't know what we'll do next, but at least we'll be alive. And we have to get those vials back from Patterson.”

  Before I can reply, he starts bundling Doctor Carter into the carriage, and then he climbs up after her. I hesitate for a moment, still feeling as if this whole strategy is doomed to failure, but then I hear a series of explosions in the distance and I realize that he's right about Boston being too dangerous. I look over my shoulder and see fresh plumes of smoke rising into the sky, and then I clamber onto the train and pull the door shut.

  I turn, only to come face-to-face with Toad.

  Nearby, Thomas is helping Carter into a seat in one of the carriage's compartments. This train must be really old, but at least the compartments have sliding doors so it might be possible to hide for a while. I watch them for a moment longer, and then I realize that Toad is still staring at me.

  I turn to him.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Nothing,” he replies, “just... I didn't think I'd ever see you again.”

  “Neither did I,” I tell him. “I was fine with that.”

  “Elizabeth -”

  “When I first met you,” I continue, “you were a peaceful man. You had your farm, and you didn't want anything to do with the rest of the world. Now you're a soldier in a uniform, and you're carrying out executions.”

  “You have to understand that we -”

  “And you'd never have accepted any kind of excuse,” I add. “The Toad I met three months ago would hate the Toad who's standing in front of me now. I know a lot has happened, but if we don't stay true to ourselves, then what's the point of even surviving?”

  “That's easy for you to say,” he replies. “You haven't -”

  “Yeah, I get it,” I say, interrupting him. “I haven't been through what you've been through. Sure. You've had it harder than anyone else.”

  “I didn't say that.”

  “Just don't talk to me unless it's about how we're going to get out of this,” I tell him.

  “I'm going home, Elizabeth,” he replies. “I'm going right back to the farm, and...” His voice trails off for a moment. “I want you to come with me,” he adds finally. “I know it's not much. It's not perfect. But you're right, I hate this uniform and I don't want to be part of the fight. I just want to get on with things and look after my own life. Elizabeth, I'll help you find your father, but after that... Please, at least think about it.”

  I open my mouth to tell him that he's crazy, that I'm not going anywhere with him, but at the last moment I hold back. And then, before I have a chance to work out what to say next, I spot movement beyond the train and I lean toward the nearest window.

  “Bloom's here,” I say, spotting a familiar bald head making its way toward the next carriage. For a moment, I feel a surge of anger as I think back to Natalie's death. I know I should hold back, but for a few seconds all I want to do is go and kill him. I don't quite know how I manage to hold back.

  Suddenly I feel a flicker of relief in my chest as I spot several children being herded onto the train. I watch for a moment, and sure enough I see that Polly Musgrave is among them.

  “They're bringing the children onboard,” I say, turning to Toad. “They're saving them!”

  “I doubt it's out of the goodness of their hearts,” Toad replies darkly, as we watch the doors being swung shut. “Those children are valuable. They're going to be used for something.”

  Before I can ask what he means, the whole carriage shudders. There's a loud whistling sound, and then the train starts to slowly pull away from the platform.

  ***

  “Wherever this train is going,” Doctor Carter whispers, as we all sit huddled in one of the compartments, “it's going there because of Project Atherius. You need to understand that everything Patterson and Bloom do is because of Atherius. They know that they need to get there.”

  “But what -”

  Before I can finish, I hear footsteps out in the corridor. I turn and look toward the compartment's door. The blind has been pulled down over the glass panel, and we've locked the door, but I feel as if it's only a matter of time before we're discovered. Fortunately, the footsteps pass straight by our door, and we all wait until they've vanished into the distance.

  “There's only a skeleton crew onboard this train,” Carter continues as I turn back to her. “That helps us. Bloom's somewhere up near the front, with the children. If he and Patterson are working together, it's only temporary. They'll turn on one another as soon as they think they can. That's another thing we can try to use. Patterson's a smart guy, but he's losing his mind. He hates me.”

  “Can't think why,” Toad mutters.

  “And I'm the only one who can recreate the cure,” she points out. “He'll want me dead.” She grabs her backpack from a nearby seat. “I'm going to go to the rear of the train. The carriages there looked empty, so I can hopefully find some time to get ready. Thomas, I need you to come with me and help.”

  “And what do I do?” I ask.

  “You?” She furrows her brow. “I don't care. Just don't screw anything up. If I were you, I'd curl into a nice tight space and hope for the best.”

  “I need to know what they're doing to Polly and the other children,” I tell her.

  “Relax, they'll be fine. Until we get to wherever we're going, at least. That's when they'll be turned over to their new owners.”

  “Owners?” I reply, horrified by the word.

  “I've got a nasty feeling that they're intended as a gift,” she continues. “Don't shoot the messenger, it's just a hunch, but I don't see why else Bloom would bring them. He needs to bribe someone, or at least to ingratiate himself. What better way to do that, than by rocking up with a valuable gift?”

  “I have to check on Polly,” I tell her. “She must be terrified.”

  “The kid'll be fine. Don't risk getting caught.”

  I open my mouth to argue with her, but then I realize that there's no point. As the train continues to rattle along, I watch as Carter hauls her backpack up, and I can tell that she's only focused on the task of getting the cure back from Patterson. She doesn't care about the children at all, but that's okay. I know what I have to do.

  “Come on, Thomas,” she says, turning and limping toward the door. “We don't have much time and we need a lot of luck. The sooner we get started, the sooner we can try to engineer a little luck and buy ourselves some extra chances.”

  Thomas gets to his feet.

  “Oh,” she adds, �
�and say goodbye to your buddies, because the odds of us all getting out of this alive are pretty much non-existent.” She opens the door and leans out into the corridor. “The coast's clear. Let's move. Now!”

  Thomas turns to me.

  “See you soon,” I say to him. “Good luck.”

  He hesitates, before nodding and turning to follow Carter.

  “We'll find somewhere for you to hide,” Toad says once they're gone. “I don't know how long this journey's going to be, but -”

  “Who said anything about hiding?” I ask, as I stand and step toward the door. “I need to see Polly. I need to be sure that she's okay.”

  “You saw her when she was boarding the train,” he replies. “Elizabeth, don't be too hot-headed. Just stay put and we'll check on Polly in a while.”

  I turn to him.

  “She's a child,” I remind him. “She doesn't know what's going on. And you heard Carter, she thinks the children are being used. Can you honestly sit here and do nothing, knowing that just a few carriages along she might be being hurt?”

  “There's nothing we can do!” he hisses.

  “We -”

  “Is this about Rachel?” he adds.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It's not your fault that you lost Rachel,” he continues. “You don't even know that anything bad happened to her. And you can't make up for losing her, by risking your life unnecessarily now. Those kids are just sitting in a compartment somewhere, bored out of their minds. Maybe something bad's going to happen to them when we get to our destination, but there's nothing we can do for them right now.”

  “We can at least try to figure out what's happening,” I point out. “Then we can make a plan. But feel free to just wait here if you're scared.”

  With that, I look out into the corridor and wait for a moment to check that no-one's about to come and surprise us. Then, as the carriage shudders a little, I step out and start making my way toward the front of the train. After just a couple of steps, I hear a sound over my shoulder and I glance back just in time to see Toad coming after me.