It had almost been two weeks after that day and I sat beside Gina’s bed. She had decided to go through with the procedure. Though, she seemed to be in a great deal of pain afterward, it was nothing compared to the depression she had fallen into. I learned that Gina was deeply against abortion, but had thrown away her own belief for the safety of both herself and the rest of the group.
I don’t know if I respected her for it, or thought her weak for not standing up to her own morals. Either way, it didn’t really matter. She was silent now. Never spoke, just sat in her bed and barely moved. I spoke to her and read her stories until someone else came along to take my shift. Mabel’s mother would spend the nights with her and I got the afternoons, while Alec had volunteered to take the mornings.
He didn’t have to take it, there were others that were willing to help. Yet, he had almost insisted on helping. I didn’t know if it was because he felt sorry for her or because he felt something else for her. I never asked. I don’t think that I wanted to know the answer to be honest.
I heard Gina moan and I turned my eyes from the setting sun to her. The room we were in was rather bare. It had once been decorated, but Gina had thrown a terrible tantrum after the procedure and we decided to remove anything she could hurt herself on. I think that not trusting her had caused more harm then good, because she fell into her darkness soon after.
“Thirsty?” I asked.
She was sitting up in the bed with the pillows behind her back. Her eyes were fixed on her hands and tears formed at the corner of her eyes.
With a sigh, I leaned back into the wooden chair that I was sitting in beside her bed. “Gina, this is going to have to stop. You are a grown woman. I realize that you have gone through a horrible ordeal, and I know that it isn’t my place to tell you what to do. I just think this has gone too far. You made your decision, you have to live with it.”
She didn’t respond to me, so I crossed my arms and sighed again.
“I felt pushed.” She said after a long pause. Her eyes slowly wandered over to me.
“Pushed?”
A cry slipped past her lips, but she tried to catch it. “It felt like everyone wanted me to do this. I don’t think I would have if everyone hadn’t told me I should.”
I frowned, “I don’t recall trying to push you one way or the other.”
“You were the only one. Everyone else told me to kill him… her… it.” She sniffled and looked at me through her dark brown curls. “It could have been a girl. It could have been…
“An everyday reminder of those terrible days you spent tied to a desk.” I finished the sentence, even though I wasn’t sure if I believed it myself.
She lifted her head up, but kept her eyes on me. “Does that give me the right to kill it?”
“I… I don’t know.” My eyes dropped to my lap. “All I know is that a decision was made, and you can’t change that now. Torturing yourself like this, hating yourself like this, it will do no one any good. If you really think you have done wrong, then you need to take steps to remedy the situation the best you can.”
“I can’t bring the child back, Elliot. What the hell do you expect me to do?” She growled.
“Anything that makes you feel better.”
The tension in her jaw released and she dropped her eyes to her hands once again. “If I knew what that was, I would do it.”
I nodded my head as I took a quick glance at her. We fell back into the silence so the only sounds that could be heard was the sound of those working on the near by barn.
“He likes you.” Gina suddenly mumbled.
“What?”
She turned her head to me, “Cole. He likes you.”
“Oh.” I had no idea what I could say to her.
“It’s alright. We… we talked and I know that I seemed a little psycho… ok, very psycho. I was just… misinformed, I suppose.”
“Is that what some of this is about?” I was referring to her depression.
“A bit. My hopes of being with Cole were stomped upon, and I had to make a choice that no woman ever should have to make.” She cleared her throat, “Do you have feelings for him?”
I shrugged my shoulders, “I don’t know.”
Gina swallowed and began to play with her fingers, “He’s afraid that you don’t. Says you wanted space and he gave you some, but he wonders if he has given too much.”
It was true that Cole had left me alone the past couple of weeks. There were days that I didn’t see him at all. Not that I had gone looking for him either. I was too confused to make a serious decision that didn’t revolve around life or death. I still missed and loved Drew, and I didn’t think that I was ready to move on. Yet, I didn’t think that I wanted to let Cole pass me by.
“We talked about it a little the other day… or rather, he talked and I listened. I guess he felt safe telling me those things when I wasn’t talking back.” She chuckled nervously. Her grin turned to a frown, “He’s a great guy.”
“I know.”
She grinned sadly, “Good.” Her eyes dropped, “You don’t want to discuss this with me, do you? Is it because of what I said before?”
“No. It’s a personal issue that I am confused about and I just have no answer for you.”
A knock came at the door and Mabel’s mother entered the room. I had never been told the woman’s name or at least I didn’t remember it. I stood from my chair and noticed that Gina had returned to her emotionless expression. She wasn’t ready to talk to anyone else, and I didn’t know why she had decided to speak with me.
I suppose she needed to get some things off her chest. Or knew that I hadn’t pushed her one way or the other. Whatever her reason, I wouldn’t tell anyone about our conversation.
I smiled at Mabel’s mother as I left the room and began the journey to the kitchen. I needed to eat dinner before I fell asleep, which I hoped both would come soon.
After my meal, I made my way up the stairs to my bedroom. The house was completely silent, except for the sounds of the generator in the basement. As I passed Gina’s room, I heard a strange grunt. I was going to ignore it until I heard the sound again. For a moment, I thought perhaps Gina had a visitor in her bed, but then wondered who it could be. At first, I worried that she wasn’t ready for sexual relations so soon after her operation. That was before a flint of jealousy entered my heart and I had to know if Cole was involved.
Placing my ear near the door, I listened to the familiar sounds of sex behind the door. I gently laid my hand on the doorknob and slowly twisted it. The door took forever to open as I didn’t want to make a single noise to disturb them. As I was about to reveal to myself the two members involved, I felt a sharp pain to the back of my neck.
My sight blackened and I felt my body go limp. I didn’t have time to react to see who my attacker was or discover what had been occurring in Gina’s room. I was certain, however, that I was not totally unconscious. I could feel hands on me and knew that someone had lifted me up into their arms.
I was carried some distance before I felt a bed appear under me. At first I was terrified that whatever fate Gina had undergone, I would soon know far too well. Who ever was in my presence breathed heavily, though it could have been from fear or exertion.
There was a conversation held, but the voices sounded neither male nor female. I was almost sure that it was English that they spoke, but it didn’t make any sense to me. As I laid there unable to move or speak, I began to feel a sense of deja-vu. This had happened to me before. I suddenly flashed to the first few days after we had arrived here and remembered a moment of being frozen. Then my thoughts turned to just before Gina’s surgery. I remembered being in the room, but I wasn’t clear on the details after that. I thought it had been so disturbing to me that I had purposely forgotten those moments, but now I was not so sure.
“Take a sample.” I heard one of the voices say.
There was more mumbling before another sentence came in clear, “Too many from her. We have to try the others.”
It was as if my ears were changing volume on their own, because the loudness of the voices would shift.
“You care too much for her. Sacrifices must be made to save ourselves.” The voice said.
The mumbling began again and I felt as if I were about to choke on my own tongue. Then the tenseness in my body released, and I felt a pair of lips on my forehead.
“Did you use this one on her?”
“Yes?”
“It’s only half empty! She’s might be still conscious!”
I felt another sharp pain in my neck and from what the voice had said, I expected to fall into unconsciousness, but I didn’t.
“It’s too late for that.”
“We’ll find out what she knows later. She may just think this was all a dream.”
“Give her the rest anyway.”
I felt the pressure and pain release from my neck. A hand touched my upper arm and I heard the sounds of the door slamming. After a moment, I felt someone lay down on the bed beside me. From the feel of their chest on my arm, they were not wearing a shirt.
“It would be best to forget all of this, Elliot.” The voice said with their lips close to my ear.
My mind began to feel hazy and if it was even possible, my body was even more limp then before. As I felt the hand slide over my body and begin to pull off my shirt, my mind fell into complete blackness.
When I awoke the next morning, my head throbbed with what felt like a hang over. Stepping out of the bed, I wore the small blue nightgown that I normally wore to bed and my clothes were laid out exactly as I usually placed them. I questioned my own sanity about the night before. Had I been dreaming? Was I going insane?
I removed my nightgown and looked in the mirror that hung from the door in my room. There was no marks on my neck to indicate that I had needles piercing my skin and a search of the rest of my body came up empty. All I had was the memory and that would prove nothing.
Even though I wasn’t certain if I had dreamt the entire incident or not, I decided to play it safe. Though it seemed like a lifetime ago, I was a trained police officer and a detective to boot. I had to allow my previous self that had all the training that I need to kick in. I knew how to be coy while still discovering the information that I needed. Most of all, I knew no one could be trusted until I understood what was happening to us.
They were taking samples from us and were prepared to sacrifice us, but who and for what? My first thoughts went to Cole. He was my prime suspect in all of this. After all, he desperately wanted to find a cure for the Judgment Day Virus. I just wasn’t certain if he was willing to hurt others to complete his research. He didn’t seem to be the type, but I had no other leads at the moment.
Pulling on my clothes, I opened my door and prepared myself. I had to look unscathed. Whoever was with me last night might look for signs that I was distraught, and I couldn’t let them know I remembered anything.
A black shirt flashed past me as I stepped out into the hall, followed by my frame hitting a solid form. Hands wrapped around my shoulders to prevent me from falling. My eyes met with a strange greenish hazel not at all like the dark eyes I had seen so many nights ago.
Tim looked worried as he steadied me. His dark brown curls were pressed over his forehead and against his scalp. He obviously had just woken up. “I am so sorry. I didn’t see you stepping out, I…”
“What are you doing in the house?” I asked and stepped away from his grasp.
He looked offended though I didn’t know if it was because of what I said or my reaction to his touch. “The cold hurts my joints. Doc let me have his room, said there was a place for him to sleep in the basement.” He was quiet for a moment as if he was waiting for me to respond. “Don’t worry my brothers are staying outside.”
I rose an eyebrow then pushed past him to begin my way to the kitchen.
“Hey!” He yelled.
Turning around on my heels next to the stairs edge, I frowned. “What?”
“We are really sorry for what we did, you know? I tried to talk them out of it, but Hal was certain that we all would be safer in small groups. He did it for everyone’s good not just our own.”
“Had Alec or Mabel died because we didn’t have enough food or weapons, you would have died on that driveway. I would have shot you myself.” I hissed.
He nodded, “I have no doubt of that.” His eyes dropped to the ground and a sadness appeared over his face. “We did feel terrible. It would mean a lot to us… a lot to me, if you could someday forgive us.”
For a moment, he looked rather attractive. His tall and masculine, yet thin, stature with his brown curls all a mess. His face was shaven from the last time I had seen him. Standing there watching him, I felt my anger begin to melt away.
With a nod, I tried to let it all go. “It’s alright. No need to drag what happened out there when we were all in survival mode into here. What’s done is done and it can’t be changed, and all those other clichés.”
He chuckled, “We just want to join the community here and start our new lives.”
“So does everyone else.”
Tim took a step towards me, “Elliot, right?”
“Yes.”
“Strange name for a girl. I’ve only ever known guys names that.”
I shrugged, “My mother liked it as a name for a girl, and I have to say that I agree.”
“I didn’t mean that to insult you. It’s refreshing to see a name used out of the ordinary. I would take almost anything over Timothy.” He took another step forward.
I rose my eyebrow, “Are you trying to stalk closer to me?”
He laughed, “Testing the waters, I suppose. You look like a girl that wouldn’t have any problems decking me if I got too close. Besides, I remember you’re a cop. Jason’s partner, he told me how tough you are… among the times he was telling me how beautiful you were.”
I tried not to blush or roll my eyes, both which were valid responses to how I felt.
“Hey.” Cole’s voice said behind me on the stairs.
I turned slightly to him, “Morning.”
“Morning.” He repeated to me and turned his eyes to the large man down the hall. “Everything alright?” He was asking me even though his eyes were on Tim.
“Yes, we were just talking.” I answered.
Cole stepped into the hallway and took my hand. “We have a problem.” He turned his eyes to me.
“Oh?” I asked him as I tried to pretend I didn’t notice Cole’s hand on my own, or Tim’s eyes on our hands.
“Almost out of gas for the generator. We have to come up with a plan. Alec and some others are downstairs. We might have to send people into town.” He turned his eyes to Tim, “You can join if you want to. Your brother is.”
“Thanks, I will. Is it starting now?” Tim’s eyes went from Cole’s face to my hand holding his.
“Yes, I was about to wake up Elliot and tell her.”
“I’m hungry.” I mumbled and released my hand from Cole’s.
He kissed my cheek, “Food is made.”
Without another word I began my way down the stairs, all too aware of the tension that I sensed between the two men. Halfway down the stairs, I stopped to hear a conversation between the two men.
“I already warned you about this shit. Don’t think I don’t know what you are doing.” Cole said.
Tim chuckled, “What I am doing?”
“At the risk of sounding like a high school jock, she’s my girl. I’ve seen you eyeing her the past couple of weeks when she was out on the post and what not.”
“You do sound like a high school jock, and she’s a grown woman. Besides, doesn’t seem to me that you two are all that close.” When he finished speaking there was a loud thud as if someone had been pushed against the wall.
I didn’t think quickly enough and found myself face to face with Tim on the stairs. He looked to be in a bit of shock, and Cole’s face was no different as he came to a halt on the stairs behind him. I said nothing, only turned my backs on both men and made my way to the kitchen. There was already too much on my mind. I didn’t have the energy to deal with juvenile adult men trying to prove who was more masculine than the other.
Hal and Tim both leaned against the wall while the rest of us monopolized the kitchen table. It was me, Alec, Cole, and this man that was only introduced to me as Croc. I decided that it had to be a nickname. I had seen the middle aged man around before. His hair was salt and pepper and his eyes a dark green. Standing as tall as Alec, he reminded me of Alec’s friends from the military.
I figured that Croc was the one deemed to be the leader out in the fields. He was always bossing people around. I had come to understand that our little society had already separated itself. There were the people that lived in the house deemed the higher class and those that lived outside, the working class, I suppose.
Though the house only consisted of less then ten people, we seemed to be in charge. Croc was more of the man that came to Cole to tell him what the people outside needed. It was Cole that was the leader, almost as if he were the chieftain or some such nonsense. I had never spoken to Croc before until that day though we didn’t have much of a discussion. He seemed more interested in hearing what Cole had to say and getting back to his tasks outside.
“I wouldn’t want to send any civilians into the city.” Alec told them.
“And who would you consider civilians?” Cole spoke with some annoyance in his voice.
“Anyone who hasn’t had military training.”
Croc answered before Cole could respond, “What about your sister? As I hear it, she use to be a cop.”
“I think she should stay here.” Alec told him.
“Excuse me, I’ll say if I stay or go.” I barked at him. “What is the plan anyway?”
With a clearing of his throat, Croc answered. “We found an old truck that has room for four. Problem is, we don’t think it has enough gas to get you into the city. Whatever gas we have left here will have to be used to fill it up. Once in the city, you’ll find some stations and fill up the containers and the truck.”
“Don’t say ‘you’ll’ she will think that she is coming.” Alec snapped.
Croc seemed to ignore him. “I think it’s best if your brother, I, and you went since we all have special training, but we need to find one more person.”
“I was in the Air Force.” Tim answered.
We all glared at him.
“Yeah, yeah. We don’t have time to argue what part of the military is better or that the Air Force is a bunch of pansies. Point is they taught me to fire a gun. Do you want me to come or not?”
Croc looked towards Alec and me, when we didn’t have any objections, he gave him a nod. “Alright, that’s four then.”
“Wait, how are we going to run everything if you guys take all the gas?” Cole asked.
“It’ll only be for a day. The town we are driving to is only a two hour drive, there and back. That’s four hours of driving, and probably two or three of getting the gas. It’s a smaller town, so we shouldn’t have much trouble with the zombies.” Croc told him.
I tried not to chuckle when I heard him use my term for the infected people. It was obviously spreading.
“Just keep your fridge closed. Besides it’s pretty cold out, the temperature won’t drop that quickly for your supplies. You should be fine.”
“When do we leave?” Alec asked.
“In an hour. Eat, get all the weapons and warm clothing you can find, and find some food to bring with us.”
“What?” Cole squeaked.
“Just in case.” Croc responded before he got up from his chair and left the house.
“Just in case what?” Cole turned his eyes to me.
Tim was the one to answer him, “In case we get stranded out there and have to walk back.”
“I need my samples to stay cold. You can’t fail.”
I patted Cole’s shoulder, “We won’t. Don’t worry.”
“Can’t guarantee that we won’t. We don’t know what is out there.” Tim told him.
Hal pulled himself off the wall with a groan, “Well, I was worthless in all this. I’m going back outside to do my job.” He glared over his shoulder at his brother. “You have fun during your little vacation.”
“Yeah, being stuck in a little truck and possibly attacked by those infected assholes. Real relaxing day.” Tim snapped at his brother.
“Fuck you.” Hal said as he slammed the door behind him.
“What was that about?” I asked him.
With a shrug, Tim turned around to head up the stairs. My eyes turned to Alec, who got out of his chair and followed Tim up.
“That guy is such an ass.” Cole mumbled and headed down into the basement.
With a sigh, I looked over at the kitchen counter and saw the plate that was left out for me. I decided to eat my meal before I went to collect my things. At least I would get a few moments alone before we left.
“It’s too cramped back here.” Tim moaned.
The truck sat two people in the front, and two more in fold out seats in the back of the cab. Somehow, I had managed to secure a seat in the passenger side while Croc drove. Tim and Alec were packed into the back of the cab with Tim behind Croc. Tim was smaller then Alec, and Croc needed the extra leg room to drive. I was almost certain that Croc had purposely given himself more then he needed just to cause Tim discomfort.
“This isn’t sweet sailing for any of us. Deal with it.” Croc growled in his husky deep voice.
“You are too fucking big to be the driver. You and Alec should be in the back and the smaller of the two in the front.” Tim whined.
I ignored the argument that continued and looked out at the fields and abandoned farmhouses. I wondered where everyone had gone that had once owned those homes. Cole had told me the zombies preferred to live in large groups and that most would have headed for the cities. I was curious to know how they knew where the larger cities were. Though, I suppose it didn’t matter all that much.
Knowing your enemy was important and I knew that, but it just didn’t seem relevant anymore. I hadn’t seen any zombies since we arrived at the farm and Cole doubted there would be any in the town that we were heading to. The zombies weren’t an issue anymore. How we would continue to run the generator was, though I saw no real reason in discovering more about them.
I realized that the truck was slowing down and Croc stepped out of the cab. Tim followed behind him and Alec ordered for me to get out. I had no idea what was going on until I saw Tim take a swing at Croc.
“We don’t have time for this!” Alec barked when he jumped out of the truck before I was even clear of my seat.
He ran around the side of the truck to break up the fight. Croc had Tim on the ground within a few seconds with the crook of his arm choking the breath from the smaller man. Tim’s face began to turn purple, so I ran to grab a gun from the truck.
As I turned around, I watched Alec kick Croc in his face and the older man fell back. Tim gasped for air with his face in the dirt of the road. It took Croc a moment to get his bearings and to realize who had attacked him. His anger turned to Alec and he began to charge him.
Running around the side of the truck, I fired off a warning shot which stopped everyone. All eyes turned towards me. It was silent for what seemed to be an eternity. I watched as the wind not only blew the dirt on the road and forced the grass to dance it’s final dance of the season, but it also began to blow the anger and pain away.
Tim slowly stood up. He was no worse for wear, except that his face was a little dirty and there would probably be bruises on his neck later. Croc’s nose was bleeding, but the heated anger in his eyes was slowly vanishing. Alec seemed to become more calm as he realized that Croc would not be attacking him. I, on the other hand, was not angry. I was terrified that they knew I wouldn’t shoot them and I was scared that this might escalate to the point of greater problems.
I had seen it before, even among best friends. Someone disagrees with another person and eventually one of them ends up dead. I didn’t put it past any of these three men to kill. Be it for morals or out of anger, it didn’t matter.
“Everyone get back into the truck.” I spoke slowly. “We can deal with this later. Right now, we have people waiting on our return. Croc and Alec can sit in the back, and I’ll drive. No one will talk to each other. No one will look at each other.” I swallowed.
“Or else what, cupcake?” Croc snarled.
“Or else, I’ll shoot you.”
The look of annoyance and hatred on his face was replaced by surprise. “Just grown men having a little brawl. Ain’t nothing wrong…”
“Grown men settling things like little boys is what it looks like to me. We have people waiting on us, and I don’t want to be out here all night. Get in the truck.”
I don’t know why they did as I told them to do. Perhaps it was the gun or that they realized there were more important things to be done. Everyone returned to the truck and no more words were spoken. Even after I put the gun away, they remained silent. Alec knew that I wouldn’t shoot them, least of all him. However, he knew enough to play along so that the others might believe that I would. If it looked like my own brother was convinced I would shoot them, then they would more then likely believe that I would.
I don’t know why I had threatened to shoot them, perhaps because I knew that Croc would have killed Tim. Then what would have happened? He may have become afraid that we would tell the others what he had done. He might have attempted to kill us as well. It was just better to stop everything before it had begun.
As we drove, I could fill the anger rising in the man sitting behind me. I fear repercussions from him in the future, but what kept my attention the most was Tim. He watched me out of the corner of his eye the rest of the drive. I didn’t know if he was afraid of me or impressed by me. Either way, his attention made me uncomfortable.
Next Chapter: http://rkphunt.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=69
I don’t know if I respected her for it, or thought her weak for not standing up to her own morals. Either way, it didn’t really matter. She was silent now. Never spoke, just sat in her bed and barely moved. I spoke to her and read her stories until someone else came along to take my shift. Mabel’s mother would spend the nights with her and I got the afternoons, while Alec had volunteered to take the mornings.
He didn’t have to take it, there were others that were willing to help. Yet, he had almost insisted on helping. I didn’t know if it was because he felt sorry for her or because he felt something else for her. I never asked. I don’t think that I wanted to know the answer to be honest.
I heard Gina moan and I turned my eyes from the setting sun to her. The room we were in was rather bare. It had once been decorated, but Gina had thrown a terrible tantrum after the procedure and we decided to remove anything she could hurt herself on. I think that not trusting her had caused more harm then good, because she fell into her darkness soon after.
“Thirsty?” I asked.
She was sitting up in the bed with the pillows behind her back. Her eyes were fixed on her hands and tears formed at the corner of her eyes.
With a sigh, I leaned back into the wooden chair that I was sitting in beside her bed. “Gina, this is going to have to stop. You are a grown woman. I realize that you have gone through a horrible ordeal, and I know that it isn’t my place to tell you what to do. I just think this has gone too far. You made your decision, you have to live with it.”
She didn’t respond to me, so I crossed my arms and sighed again.
“I felt pushed.” She said after a long pause. Her eyes slowly wandered over to me.
“Pushed?”
A cry slipped past her lips, but she tried to catch it. “It felt like everyone wanted me to do this. I don’t think I would have if everyone hadn’t told me I should.”
I frowned, “I don’t recall trying to push you one way or the other.”
“You were the only one. Everyone else told me to kill him… her… it.” She sniffled and looked at me through her dark brown curls. “It could have been a girl. It could have been…
“An everyday reminder of those terrible days you spent tied to a desk.” I finished the sentence, even though I wasn’t sure if I believed it myself.
She lifted her head up, but kept her eyes on me. “Does that give me the right to kill it?”
“I… I don’t know.” My eyes dropped to my lap. “All I know is that a decision was made, and you can’t change that now. Torturing yourself like this, hating yourself like this, it will do no one any good. If you really think you have done wrong, then you need to take steps to remedy the situation the best you can.”
“I can’t bring the child back, Elliot. What the hell do you expect me to do?” She growled.
“Anything that makes you feel better.”
The tension in her jaw released and she dropped her eyes to her hands once again. “If I knew what that was, I would do it.”
I nodded my head as I took a quick glance at her. We fell back into the silence so the only sounds that could be heard was the sound of those working on the near by barn.
“He likes you.” Gina suddenly mumbled.
“What?”
She turned her head to me, “Cole. He likes you.”
“Oh.” I had no idea what I could say to her.
“It’s alright. We… we talked and I know that I seemed a little psycho… ok, very psycho. I was just… misinformed, I suppose.”
“Is that what some of this is about?” I was referring to her depression.
“A bit. My hopes of being with Cole were stomped upon, and I had to make a choice that no woman ever should have to make.” She cleared her throat, “Do you have feelings for him?”
I shrugged my shoulders, “I don’t know.”
Gina swallowed and began to play with her fingers, “He’s afraid that you don’t. Says you wanted space and he gave you some, but he wonders if he has given too much.”
It was true that Cole had left me alone the past couple of weeks. There were days that I didn’t see him at all. Not that I had gone looking for him either. I was too confused to make a serious decision that didn’t revolve around life or death. I still missed and loved Drew, and I didn’t think that I was ready to move on. Yet, I didn’t think that I wanted to let Cole pass me by.
“We talked about it a little the other day… or rather, he talked and I listened. I guess he felt safe telling me those things when I wasn’t talking back.” She chuckled nervously. Her grin turned to a frown, “He’s a great guy.”
“I know.”
She grinned sadly, “Good.” Her eyes dropped, “You don’t want to discuss this with me, do you? Is it because of what I said before?”
“No. It’s a personal issue that I am confused about and I just have no answer for you.”
A knock came at the door and Mabel’s mother entered the room. I had never been told the woman’s name or at least I didn’t remember it. I stood from my chair and noticed that Gina had returned to her emotionless expression. She wasn’t ready to talk to anyone else, and I didn’t know why she had decided to speak with me.
I suppose she needed to get some things off her chest. Or knew that I hadn’t pushed her one way or the other. Whatever her reason, I wouldn’t tell anyone about our conversation.
I smiled at Mabel’s mother as I left the room and began the journey to the kitchen. I needed to eat dinner before I fell asleep, which I hoped both would come soon.
---***---
After my meal, I made my way up the stairs to my bedroom. The house was completely silent, except for the sounds of the generator in the basement. As I passed Gina’s room, I heard a strange grunt. I was going to ignore it until I heard the sound again. For a moment, I thought perhaps Gina had a visitor in her bed, but then wondered who it could be. At first, I worried that she wasn’t ready for sexual relations so soon after her operation. That was before a flint of jealousy entered my heart and I had to know if Cole was involved.
Placing my ear near the door, I listened to the familiar sounds of sex behind the door. I gently laid my hand on the doorknob and slowly twisted it. The door took forever to open as I didn’t want to make a single noise to disturb them. As I was about to reveal to myself the two members involved, I felt a sharp pain to the back of my neck.
My sight blackened and I felt my body go limp. I didn’t have time to react to see who my attacker was or discover what had been occurring in Gina’s room. I was certain, however, that I was not totally unconscious. I could feel hands on me and knew that someone had lifted me up into their arms.
I was carried some distance before I felt a bed appear under me. At first I was terrified that whatever fate Gina had undergone, I would soon know far too well. Who ever was in my presence breathed heavily, though it could have been from fear or exertion.
There was a conversation held, but the voices sounded neither male nor female. I was almost sure that it was English that they spoke, but it didn’t make any sense to me. As I laid there unable to move or speak, I began to feel a sense of deja-vu. This had happened to me before. I suddenly flashed to the first few days after we had arrived here and remembered a moment of being frozen. Then my thoughts turned to just before Gina’s surgery. I remembered being in the room, but I wasn’t clear on the details after that. I thought it had been so disturbing to me that I had purposely forgotten those moments, but now I was not so sure.
“Take a sample.” I heard one of the voices say.
There was more mumbling before another sentence came in clear, “Too many from her. We have to try the others.”
It was as if my ears were changing volume on their own, because the loudness of the voices would shift.
“You care too much for her. Sacrifices must be made to save ourselves.” The voice said.
The mumbling began again and I felt as if I were about to choke on my own tongue. Then the tenseness in my body released, and I felt a pair of lips on my forehead.
“Did you use this one on her?”
“Yes?”
“It’s only half empty! She’s might be still conscious!”
I felt another sharp pain in my neck and from what the voice had said, I expected to fall into unconsciousness, but I didn’t.
“It’s too late for that.”
“We’ll find out what she knows later. She may just think this was all a dream.”
“Give her the rest anyway.”
I felt the pressure and pain release from my neck. A hand touched my upper arm and I heard the sounds of the door slamming. After a moment, I felt someone lay down on the bed beside me. From the feel of their chest on my arm, they were not wearing a shirt.
“It would be best to forget all of this, Elliot.” The voice said with their lips close to my ear.
My mind began to feel hazy and if it was even possible, my body was even more limp then before. As I felt the hand slide over my body and begin to pull off my shirt, my mind fell into complete blackness.
---***---
When I awoke the next morning, my head throbbed with what felt like a hang over. Stepping out of the bed, I wore the small blue nightgown that I normally wore to bed and my clothes were laid out exactly as I usually placed them. I questioned my own sanity about the night before. Had I been dreaming? Was I going insane?
I removed my nightgown and looked in the mirror that hung from the door in my room. There was no marks on my neck to indicate that I had needles piercing my skin and a search of the rest of my body came up empty. All I had was the memory and that would prove nothing.
Even though I wasn’t certain if I had dreamt the entire incident or not, I decided to play it safe. Though it seemed like a lifetime ago, I was a trained police officer and a detective to boot. I had to allow my previous self that had all the training that I need to kick in. I knew how to be coy while still discovering the information that I needed. Most of all, I knew no one could be trusted until I understood what was happening to us.
They were taking samples from us and were prepared to sacrifice us, but who and for what? My first thoughts went to Cole. He was my prime suspect in all of this. After all, he desperately wanted to find a cure for the Judgment Day Virus. I just wasn’t certain if he was willing to hurt others to complete his research. He didn’t seem to be the type, but I had no other leads at the moment.
Pulling on my clothes, I opened my door and prepared myself. I had to look unscathed. Whoever was with me last night might look for signs that I was distraught, and I couldn’t let them know I remembered anything.
A black shirt flashed past me as I stepped out into the hall, followed by my frame hitting a solid form. Hands wrapped around my shoulders to prevent me from falling. My eyes met with a strange greenish hazel not at all like the dark eyes I had seen so many nights ago.
Tim looked worried as he steadied me. His dark brown curls were pressed over his forehead and against his scalp. He obviously had just woken up. “I am so sorry. I didn’t see you stepping out, I…”
“What are you doing in the house?” I asked and stepped away from his grasp.
He looked offended though I didn’t know if it was because of what I said or my reaction to his touch. “The cold hurts my joints. Doc let me have his room, said there was a place for him to sleep in the basement.” He was quiet for a moment as if he was waiting for me to respond. “Don’t worry my brothers are staying outside.”
I rose an eyebrow then pushed past him to begin my way to the kitchen.
“Hey!” He yelled.
Turning around on my heels next to the stairs edge, I frowned. “What?”
“We are really sorry for what we did, you know? I tried to talk them out of it, but Hal was certain that we all would be safer in small groups. He did it for everyone’s good not just our own.”
“Had Alec or Mabel died because we didn’t have enough food or weapons, you would have died on that driveway. I would have shot you myself.” I hissed.
He nodded, “I have no doubt of that.” His eyes dropped to the ground and a sadness appeared over his face. “We did feel terrible. It would mean a lot to us… a lot to me, if you could someday forgive us.”
For a moment, he looked rather attractive. His tall and masculine, yet thin, stature with his brown curls all a mess. His face was shaven from the last time I had seen him. Standing there watching him, I felt my anger begin to melt away.
With a nod, I tried to let it all go. “It’s alright. No need to drag what happened out there when we were all in survival mode into here. What’s done is done and it can’t be changed, and all those other clichés.”
He chuckled, “We just want to join the community here and start our new lives.”
“So does everyone else.”
Tim took a step towards me, “Elliot, right?”
“Yes.”
“Strange name for a girl. I’ve only ever known guys names that.”
I shrugged, “My mother liked it as a name for a girl, and I have to say that I agree.”
“I didn’t mean that to insult you. It’s refreshing to see a name used out of the ordinary. I would take almost anything over Timothy.” He took another step forward.
I rose my eyebrow, “Are you trying to stalk closer to me?”
He laughed, “Testing the waters, I suppose. You look like a girl that wouldn’t have any problems decking me if I got too close. Besides, I remember you’re a cop. Jason’s partner, he told me how tough you are… among the times he was telling me how beautiful you were.”
I tried not to blush or roll my eyes, both which were valid responses to how I felt.
“Hey.” Cole’s voice said behind me on the stairs.
I turned slightly to him, “Morning.”
“Morning.” He repeated to me and turned his eyes to the large man down the hall. “Everything alright?” He was asking me even though his eyes were on Tim.
“Yes, we were just talking.” I answered.
Cole stepped into the hallway and took my hand. “We have a problem.” He turned his eyes to me.
“Oh?” I asked him as I tried to pretend I didn’t notice Cole’s hand on my own, or Tim’s eyes on our hands.
“Almost out of gas for the generator. We have to come up with a plan. Alec and some others are downstairs. We might have to send people into town.” He turned his eyes to Tim, “You can join if you want to. Your brother is.”
“Thanks, I will. Is it starting now?” Tim’s eyes went from Cole’s face to my hand holding his.
“Yes, I was about to wake up Elliot and tell her.”
“I’m hungry.” I mumbled and released my hand from Cole’s.
He kissed my cheek, “Food is made.”
Without another word I began my way down the stairs, all too aware of the tension that I sensed between the two men. Halfway down the stairs, I stopped to hear a conversation between the two men.
“I already warned you about this shit. Don’t think I don’t know what you are doing.” Cole said.
Tim chuckled, “What I am doing?”
“At the risk of sounding like a high school jock, she’s my girl. I’ve seen you eyeing her the past couple of weeks when she was out on the post and what not.”
“You do sound like a high school jock, and she’s a grown woman. Besides, doesn’t seem to me that you two are all that close.” When he finished speaking there was a loud thud as if someone had been pushed against the wall.
I didn’t think quickly enough and found myself face to face with Tim on the stairs. He looked to be in a bit of shock, and Cole’s face was no different as he came to a halt on the stairs behind him. I said nothing, only turned my backs on both men and made my way to the kitchen. There was already too much on my mind. I didn’t have the energy to deal with juvenile adult men trying to prove who was more masculine than the other.
---***---
Hal and Tim both leaned against the wall while the rest of us monopolized the kitchen table. It was me, Alec, Cole, and this man that was only introduced to me as Croc. I decided that it had to be a nickname. I had seen the middle aged man around before. His hair was salt and pepper and his eyes a dark green. Standing as tall as Alec, he reminded me of Alec’s friends from the military.
I figured that Croc was the one deemed to be the leader out in the fields. He was always bossing people around. I had come to understand that our little society had already separated itself. There were the people that lived in the house deemed the higher class and those that lived outside, the working class, I suppose.
Though the house only consisted of less then ten people, we seemed to be in charge. Croc was more of the man that came to Cole to tell him what the people outside needed. It was Cole that was the leader, almost as if he were the chieftain or some such nonsense. I had never spoken to Croc before until that day though we didn’t have much of a discussion. He seemed more interested in hearing what Cole had to say and getting back to his tasks outside.
“I wouldn’t want to send any civilians into the city.” Alec told them.
“And who would you consider civilians?” Cole spoke with some annoyance in his voice.
“Anyone who hasn’t had military training.”
Croc answered before Cole could respond, “What about your sister? As I hear it, she use to be a cop.”
“I think she should stay here.” Alec told him.
“Excuse me, I’ll say if I stay or go.” I barked at him. “What is the plan anyway?”
With a clearing of his throat, Croc answered. “We found an old truck that has room for four. Problem is, we don’t think it has enough gas to get you into the city. Whatever gas we have left here will have to be used to fill it up. Once in the city, you’ll find some stations and fill up the containers and the truck.”
“Don’t say ‘you’ll’ she will think that she is coming.” Alec snapped.
Croc seemed to ignore him. “I think it’s best if your brother, I, and you went since we all have special training, but we need to find one more person.”
“I was in the Air Force.” Tim answered.
We all glared at him.
“Yeah, yeah. We don’t have time to argue what part of the military is better or that the Air Force is a bunch of pansies. Point is they taught me to fire a gun. Do you want me to come or not?”
Croc looked towards Alec and me, when we didn’t have any objections, he gave him a nod. “Alright, that’s four then.”
“Wait, how are we going to run everything if you guys take all the gas?” Cole asked.
“It’ll only be for a day. The town we are driving to is only a two hour drive, there and back. That’s four hours of driving, and probably two or three of getting the gas. It’s a smaller town, so we shouldn’t have much trouble with the zombies.” Croc told him.
I tried not to chuckle when I heard him use my term for the infected people. It was obviously spreading.
“Just keep your fridge closed. Besides it’s pretty cold out, the temperature won’t drop that quickly for your supplies. You should be fine.”
“When do we leave?” Alec asked.
“In an hour. Eat, get all the weapons and warm clothing you can find, and find some food to bring with us.”
“What?” Cole squeaked.
“Just in case.” Croc responded before he got up from his chair and left the house.
“Just in case what?” Cole turned his eyes to me.
Tim was the one to answer him, “In case we get stranded out there and have to walk back.”
“I need my samples to stay cold. You can’t fail.”
I patted Cole’s shoulder, “We won’t. Don’t worry.”
“Can’t guarantee that we won’t. We don’t know what is out there.” Tim told him.
Hal pulled himself off the wall with a groan, “Well, I was worthless in all this. I’m going back outside to do my job.” He glared over his shoulder at his brother. “You have fun during your little vacation.”
“Yeah, being stuck in a little truck and possibly attacked by those infected assholes. Real relaxing day.” Tim snapped at his brother.
“Fuck you.” Hal said as he slammed the door behind him.
“What was that about?” I asked him.
With a shrug, Tim turned around to head up the stairs. My eyes turned to Alec, who got out of his chair and followed Tim up.
“That guy is such an ass.” Cole mumbled and headed down into the basement.
With a sigh, I looked over at the kitchen counter and saw the plate that was left out for me. I decided to eat my meal before I went to collect my things. At least I would get a few moments alone before we left.
---***---
“It’s too cramped back here.” Tim moaned.
The truck sat two people in the front, and two more in fold out seats in the back of the cab. Somehow, I had managed to secure a seat in the passenger side while Croc drove. Tim and Alec were packed into the back of the cab with Tim behind Croc. Tim was smaller then Alec, and Croc needed the extra leg room to drive. I was almost certain that Croc had purposely given himself more then he needed just to cause Tim discomfort.
“This isn’t sweet sailing for any of us. Deal with it.” Croc growled in his husky deep voice.
“You are too fucking big to be the driver. You and Alec should be in the back and the smaller of the two in the front.” Tim whined.
I ignored the argument that continued and looked out at the fields and abandoned farmhouses. I wondered where everyone had gone that had once owned those homes. Cole had told me the zombies preferred to live in large groups and that most would have headed for the cities. I was curious to know how they knew where the larger cities were. Though, I suppose it didn’t matter all that much.
Knowing your enemy was important and I knew that, but it just didn’t seem relevant anymore. I hadn’t seen any zombies since we arrived at the farm and Cole doubted there would be any in the town that we were heading to. The zombies weren’t an issue anymore. How we would continue to run the generator was, though I saw no real reason in discovering more about them.
I realized that the truck was slowing down and Croc stepped out of the cab. Tim followed behind him and Alec ordered for me to get out. I had no idea what was going on until I saw Tim take a swing at Croc.
“We don’t have time for this!” Alec barked when he jumped out of the truck before I was even clear of my seat.
He ran around the side of the truck to break up the fight. Croc had Tim on the ground within a few seconds with the crook of his arm choking the breath from the smaller man. Tim’s face began to turn purple, so I ran to grab a gun from the truck.
As I turned around, I watched Alec kick Croc in his face and the older man fell back. Tim gasped for air with his face in the dirt of the road. It took Croc a moment to get his bearings and to realize who had attacked him. His anger turned to Alec and he began to charge him.
Running around the side of the truck, I fired off a warning shot which stopped everyone. All eyes turned towards me. It was silent for what seemed to be an eternity. I watched as the wind not only blew the dirt on the road and forced the grass to dance it’s final dance of the season, but it also began to blow the anger and pain away.
Tim slowly stood up. He was no worse for wear, except that his face was a little dirty and there would probably be bruises on his neck later. Croc’s nose was bleeding, but the heated anger in his eyes was slowly vanishing. Alec seemed to become more calm as he realized that Croc would not be attacking him. I, on the other hand, was not angry. I was terrified that they knew I wouldn’t shoot them and I was scared that this might escalate to the point of greater problems.
I had seen it before, even among best friends. Someone disagrees with another person and eventually one of them ends up dead. I didn’t put it past any of these three men to kill. Be it for morals or out of anger, it didn’t matter.
“Everyone get back into the truck.” I spoke slowly. “We can deal with this later. Right now, we have people waiting on our return. Croc and Alec can sit in the back, and I’ll drive. No one will talk to each other. No one will look at each other.” I swallowed.
“Or else what, cupcake?” Croc snarled.
“Or else, I’ll shoot you.”
The look of annoyance and hatred on his face was replaced by surprise. “Just grown men having a little brawl. Ain’t nothing wrong…”
“Grown men settling things like little boys is what it looks like to me. We have people waiting on us, and I don’t want to be out here all night. Get in the truck.”
I don’t know why they did as I told them to do. Perhaps it was the gun or that they realized there were more important things to be done. Everyone returned to the truck and no more words were spoken. Even after I put the gun away, they remained silent. Alec knew that I wouldn’t shoot them, least of all him. However, he knew enough to play along so that the others might believe that I would. If it looked like my own brother was convinced I would shoot them, then they would more then likely believe that I would.
I don’t know why I had threatened to shoot them, perhaps because I knew that Croc would have killed Tim. Then what would have happened? He may have become afraid that we would tell the others what he had done. He might have attempted to kill us as well. It was just better to stop everything before it had begun.
As we drove, I could fill the anger rising in the man sitting behind me. I fear repercussions from him in the future, but what kept my attention the most was Tim. He watched me out of the corner of his eye the rest of the drive. I didn’t know if he was afraid of me or impressed by me. Either way, his attention made me uncomfortable.
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