by M. L. Giles
I felt this overwhelming urge to help him in any way I could; to end this obsession with the past, so we could focus on the future; to do anything he asked of me, even if he wanted me going back to Aiden’s madhouse.
Then it struck me that I might actually be falling for this man snoring away behind me.
I’m sure falling in love is a wondrous event for most people, just not for me. Falling in love leaves your heart exposed, and the last time that happened to me, I ended up getting hurt badly.
I didn’t want to get hurt that way again.
Chapter 13
Warning.
Fragmented Heart.
It was early morning when everyone had been given the news regarding the virus and the doctor’s health. Colton and I had slept undisturbed in his bed together for many hours – minus the few times I woke up from his thunder-like snoring.
That wonderful sleep couldn’t last forever, though. Someone roused us by knocking on Colton’s door at around mid-afternoon.
Colton shimmied his arms from around me, releasing me from his grip to go answer the door. He unbolted the door in his boxers and opened it up.
“Hey, sorry if I woke you.” It was Carl. “We need to have a meeting. Are you getting up anytime soon?”
Colton yawned deeply, still exhausted from all the drama, no doubt. “Ain’t sure I got it in me to do another meetin’ right now.”
“Just the important people this time. We need to discuss what to do next.”
I took my time sliding tiredly out of bed, getting my red t-shirt and black shorts back on from the previous night.
“All right. How’s folk at the moment?” Colton asked.
“Pretty bad.” Carl lowered his voice to almost a whisper. “Morale has plummeted. A few people are talking about Aiden. I’m worried some of them might run off to join him.”
“That ain’t good… We can’t risk Aiden findin’ out where we are. Get Tyrone, my old man, Bethany, an’ Pearl. Take ‘em to the meetin’ room.”
“Bethany still has a nasty headache from your trip to the supermarket. She might not be in the best condition for this.”
“She’s tough. Give her the option to come, see what she says.”
With his orders received, Carl took his leave. Colton closed the door before wandering back over to me. I was fully dressed already, leaving him still in his boxers.
“Sounds like another gloriously busy day,” I said to him. “I’m guessing it’s like this a lot with you?”
He gave me a tired smile, one that felt forced. “Yeah. Seems that way,” he said to me while walking into his bathroom.
I followed him, standing in the doorway of the bathroom. Colton just stood there, staring at himself in the mirror on the wall. Poor guy looked worn out, like a man who is used to giving his all, and yet it never seems to be enough.
“You need a day off or something,” I suggested. “A bit of time where you can do whatever you want.”
“That sounds like heaven to me…”
“Then do it! You can chill out for a bit, preferably away from all these people demanding so much of you.”
“Ain’t that easy,” he said, wetting his butt-chin with some water from the tap. He picked up a razor and started shaving that one section. “Folk here need me.”
“Come up with a plan, then? One where you aren’t so needed.” Colton looked over at me inquisitively using the mirrors reflection when I gave him that suggestion. “I’m sure Carl could handle things here for a day.”
“We’ll see,” was all he responded with.
As I watched him shave that large chin of his, I had to ask a question that had been bugging me for some time. “What’s the deal with you only shaving your chin anyway? Is it a fashion thing?”
“Me? Fashionable?” He laughed at the notion. “Nah, I just hate gettin’ food in my beard.”
Colton had gone to his meeting with the others, giving me a chance to go and find Wendy. I wanted to see how she was holding up after breaking down in tears from all the drama earlier.
When I couldn’t find her at her room, the bar, or lobby, I asked a group of people hanging around the white sofas in the lobby if they knew where she was. They told me to check the hotel’s kitchen, next to the bar.
I went straight there.
The kitchen of the hotel was enormous. Most places I would come across were dirty, showing the usual signs of death or disuse from the outbreak, but this kitchen’s white tiles glistened beautifully from the sun’s shining rays through the windows – five-star clean.
I spotted Wendy kneeling on the ground at the other side of the kitchen, putting plates into a stack. She was happily talking away with another woman. It was good to see her smiling again, especially after the news that morning.
She saw me walking towards her and, telling her friend she would be back soon, came over to me, meeting me in the middle of the kitchen. Immediately she hugged me. When she did, I saw that her frizzy red hair had been plaited at the back.
“Looks like someone’s feeling better!” I gave her a light squeeze back.
Wendy took a step back and smiled up at me as if nothing was wrong. “It’s been a rough few hours, but at least now I know what happened to my daughter, unless what people are saying about Colton being a liar is true.”
“Believe him. If not, then believe me when I say that Colton is telling the truth,” I requested before moving the topic on. “How are you feeling now? I know it wasn’t much, but at least things are going well here, right?”
“It hurt— I mean, it still hurts. I do like it here, Grayson, but I don’t feel totally free anymore. Thomas did manage to make me feel better, though.”
My jaw dropped. “Seriously? He actually managed to do something useful?! What did he do?”
Wendy looked at the ground, blushing. “Well… It’s sort of private. He wanted to do something kinky, so we got this doorknob—”
“WHOAAAA, NOW! STOP!” I had to cut her off right away, using rapid hand movements to aid in the interruption.
“What’s wrong, Grayson? I thought you were the king of crude?” she said, with a sly smile on her face.
The thought of Thomas doing anything remotely sexual using a doorknob made me cringe. I found myself asking unwanted questions in my head about whether he was the type to remove his suit before sex or not.
Still, it was great to see Wendy smiling again. I had to laugh some.
“Moving swiftly on from this disturbing topic! I heard rumours that some people were thinking about leaving to go join Aiden. You know anything about it?”
She looked away, a glint of sadness behind her eyes. “I overheard a few people mentioning it. Some are friends of mine.”
“That’s not good. At least you’re not thinking of doing that.” Her gaze immediately returned to me when I said that. “Wait… Are you?!”
“Good god, no!” she said, almost in shock. “After what you told me about him burning someone alive, I could never go there!”
When I saw her reaction, it gave me an idea; one that I didn’t really want to do, but one that might work out for the best.
I could tell everyone about what I saw.
Just thinking about that event made my heart race. The very thought of standing up and telling people what happened didn’t appeal to me, even though it was my own idea… until I thought about Colton.
If sharing my story with others could discourage them from leaving, then it would greatly help him.
That was all the motivation I needed to go through with it.
“Sure ‘bout this, Gray?” Colton asked me. His small meeting upstairs was over. Now he was gathering people in the bar for another meeting.
“I’m sure,” I answered. “Just call me up when it’s a good time to tell everyone what happened.”
Colton looked down at me, concerned about my decision. “I know this ain’t easy for you, so I’m gonna ask again: are you sure?”
“No. You’re right.
It’s a terrible idea. I shouldn’t go through with it.” I spoke in my most sarcastic tone and crossed my arms, hoping to make my point clear.
Thankfully, Colton got the message. “Ha, understood… I’ll call for you when the time’s right.”
With everyone gathered in the room, Colton took his usual place by sitting on the bar to begin the meeting.
He told everyone that he wouldn’t give up on looking for answers, and that he even had a new plan: send out two search parties to other hospitals farther afield in search of more research related material. The thought was that if any research had been done during the outbreak, the leftovers would be at other hospitals.
Frankly, the chances of finding more information on the virus seemed hopelessly low, but I knew what Colton was doing. He was trying to unite his fractured group once again by giving them a common goal, and clear any doubts of him lying by proving that Witherson’s research was correct.
The plan seemed pointless to me since I already knew what happened to my sister. How the virus spread, how it was created, or why it happened in the first place didn’t concern me. The past is the past.
Funnily enough, though, this new plan worked. People were on board with the idea. Some even congratulated Colton for not giving up on his word. I rolled my eyes, knowing that this probably meant another fun trip to some other psycho’s palace.
Not that I wouldn’t do it for Colton. In fact, the idea of helping him made me feel pretty good.
“Evan will be leadin’ the first search party headin’ north,” Colton explained from his spot on the bar. “Bethany will lead the second group goin’ east. Both groups set out tonight. We’ll need two volunteers for both groups. Who’s—”
“I’ll do it!” Wendy raised her hand straight up before anyone else had a chance to. “Thomas and I volunteer.”
“W-We do?” Thomas stuttered nervously.
Colton looked over at Thomas and Wendy, examining them. “Sure ‘bout this? It’ll be dangerous, an’ you both ain’t got much experience.”
Wendy gave a proud nod. “Grayson earned his stripes here, let us do the same.”
“…Guess that’s a fair point. You two will go with Evan,” Colton conceded. “Two more for Bethany’s group?”
I raised my hand up. “Oh! Oh! Pick me, sir! Pick me!”
To my surprise, Colton shook his head. “Sorry, Gray. Need you for somethin’ more important. Got a place that needs lookin’ at. Anyone else?”
Three people raised their hands. Colton selected two of them, instructing them to go with Evan and Bethany at the end of the meeting.
I wasn’t too sure why Wendy had volunteered herself and Thomas for something like this, given their obvious lack of experience, but it was good to see them getting out of their comfort zone. Ever since my trip to the hospital from hell, I had seen things in a different light. Now, it was their turn to learn and grow.
“Gray?” Colton called out my name, breaking my thoughts on Wendy and Thomas. “Ready?”
I knew this was going to happen. Mentally I’d prepared how best to deliver my speech, I’d even prepared a few jokes to try lightening the story up a bit, but all of it disappeared from my mind.
I stepped out of the crowd, walking over to Colton at the bar. With a nod, I gave him the sign I was ready.
“Listen up, folks,” Colton said. “Grayson was the most recent visitor to St Michael’s hospital. He thinks it’d be best to let you know what happened that night.”
With the deepest gulps, I retold my story. From the moment I first saw the hospital, right up to when Aiden set fire to the unlucky sod I’d snuck past.
As the story unfolded, I saw hands covering mouths. People recoiled at the gruesome level of detail I was purposely putting into my tale – some of it was a tad embellished for shock value, I admit. An elderly couple couldn’t take it, opting to leave the room.
My story made the impact I’d hoped it would, particularly the bit about the wall reinforced with human bones. If anyone still thought going to Aiden was a good idea, they would have to be either insane or desperate.
Once I’d finished, Colton called the meeting to a close.
Wendy and Thomas hurried off towards their group leader, Evan, eager to be briefed on the task at hand. I watched them closely, knowing that this would be their first foray without me watching out for them.
With the bar room almost cleared, I waited until Colton was alone to get more details about this place he wanted me to check out.
“When do you want me heading out?” I asked him at the bar.
Colton took a swig from a bottle of water, giving me a smirk. “Think you mean ‘when are WE headin’ out?’ An’ the answer’s in a couple of hours.”
“You’re coming with me?”
“Place is too dangerous to go alone, Gray. After all the shit at the hospital, I ain’t puttin’ you at risk alone again.”
“Ooooh, sounds scary,” I grinned. “Should I bring my sneakiest clothing?”
“The sneakiest you got.”
Night had come. It wouldn’t be long now until the two search parties went out to the hospitals, and not long until I set off with Colton to this dangerous place.
I made my way down to the underground parking lot to meet Wendy and Thomas, who, along with Bethany’s group, were getting ready to leave.
It didn’t feel right letting them go without wishing them good luck.
“You haven’t come to change my mind, have you?” Wendy asked the moment she saw me approaching her. She was with Thomas and Evan, preparing their car for the trip.
“You’re too stubborn to stop, Dee. I came to wish you good luck.”
Once more, I found Wendy gripping on to me for a hug. When she stepped away, I could see her eyes welling up with tears.
I guessed she was more scared than I had first thought.
Thomas walked away from me without saying a word. He was still putting supplies into the back of the car. I could see how nervous he was from the sweat dripping down his face and the rigidity of his movements.
They both looked awful. I was genuinely worried for them, but I knew this kind of outing would be good for their experience – unless it killed them, of course.
“Hey, Grayson. Can we talk in private?” Evan asked me. I nodded, then led him away from the preparing groups until we were out of earshot of them. “What do you think of my son?”
“Er, he has a nice butt?” I said jokingly, unsure on how to answer that question.
Evan laughed, making his tight black leather jacket squeak with his expanding chest. “I know you’re joking, but I bet you do like his arse, really.”
I blinked twice. “Can I just say how weird it is for you to talk like that about your son?”
He laughed again. “True… True.”
“What’s this about, Evan?”
“My son told me he thinks he loves you. That’s what this is about.”
“WHAT?!” I said that much louder than intended, causing my echoing voice to grab everyone’s attention. I lowered my voice to a whisper in embarrassment. “When the hell did he tell you that?!”
“After the private meeting upstairs. When everyone else left the room, Colton asked me for some fatherly advice.”
“But I’ve known him for, like, a week? A few days? If that!” Although what I was saying was the truth, it was said mostly to hide the fact that I felt something for him too.
“My son has always been quick like that. Did you know he proposed to his wife just two weeks after first meeting her? Ridiculous, really. But at least he knows what he wants.”
“Two weeks? That’s just weird. Can people even fall in love that fast?” I already knew the answer to that from previous experience.
Evan shook his head and placed his hands on his hips, breathing out in disappointment. “Fuck sake! I was afraid this might happen. Look, my son has gone through a lot, so let me tell him you don’t feel the same way before I leave. It will sound better c
oming from me.”
Evan went to walk away, forcing me to speak up. “Hold on! I never said I didn’t feel anything for him…”
“Huh? Does that mean you do love him?” he asked, looking confused.
“Yes.” When I said that one word without thinking, my embarrassment meter hit the roof. “Wait, no! I mean… maybe?”
This wasn’t like me at all. I was usually flirty and fun! But when faced with real, genuine emotion, I found it hard to think straight. I was never any good at this emotional stuff, ever since my ex, Roman, broke my heart many years ago.
“Just maybe, huh?” Evan said, with only slightly less disappointment in his voice. “Sounds to me like you need to have a think about things.”
“Yeah…” I hung my head down. “Guess I do.”
“Well, I’d best head off. It’s time for us to go hunting at the hospitals for this bullshit information everybody cares about. Cheer up, okay?” I stayed silent, still looking down at the floor. Evan walked off. As he walked away, he shouted back to me, “If nothing else, you make a great fuck buddy for my son.”
When I looked at Evan, he was walking backwards, looking at me with a cheeky grin across his face. He had shouted loud enough for everyone else to hear him on purpose.
“I’d make a great fuck buddy for everyone!” I joked back, equalling Evan’s loud voice.
He gave me a thumbs up. “That’s more like it. Don’t go changing on us, Grayson. Give Carl hell for me while I’m gone.”
“Consider it done,” I said, returning his gesture.
Both search parties had left an hour ago. I had returned to my hotel room to get changed into my usual dark clothing, only to find there was a problem.
My hoodie smelt strongly of the same smoky essence I had almost choked on when walking through the hospital. It was a terrible reminder of what had happened.