The Infected, a PODs Novel Page 5

David looked at the floor and squeezed his toes in the carpeting. “I knew it, you know? As soon as I told you to choose, I knew I was drawing a line between us, and no matter how hard we’d try, it’d always be there. But I did it anyway. Isn’t that the shit?” He swore, and shook his head. “I wish I could go back. I’d do it so differently. Well, if we’re honest, we all wish we could go back to before this hell took over our lives, and not have to deal with any of it.”

  I flinched at his last words, wondering if he saw me as just something to deal with. Just a byproduct of the virus, the hell he lived in?

  He rolled off me and threw his arm over his eyes. I scooted down and moved his arm around me. We lay on our backs on the floor, looking at the ceiling.

  “You ever think of what things would be like without the virus?” he asked.

  “A lot. Why?”

  “If the virus hadn’t hit, we might never have met.” He’d told me when we’d been in the POD.

  “I know,” I’d said, running my fingers through his hair.

  “If there’s one good thing that comes from this whole thing, it’s that I met you, Eva.”

  I rose on my elbow and kissed him. “I feel the same way.”

  “I’m glad we’re together.”

  I squeezed my eyes closed against the memory, taking a deep, shuddering breath. Things said in the POD didn’t translate into our new world. Then I was a silver lining. The light in the soul crushing darkness the virus brought to our lives.

  And he was mine.

  Out of the PODs, we were just people. People shoved into a new world, with new rules, and no family to help us navigate. There weren’t any more silver linings. That was it. As good as it was going to get.

  I sighed, running both hands through my hair, wondering just when it was that the virus stole the part of me that could find the good in any situation. When had I become such a cynic? A pessimist? Someone who didn’t believe any longer?

  I sniffed and turned my face from David. “I guess the virus took more than just our families and our world. It took part of us. Even though we survived, we didn’t make it through whole.”

  “Marissa, a math teacher across the hall from me—”

  I waved my hand in the air for him to get on with it. “I know who she is.”

  “She asked if I wanted to get together sometime,” he whispered.

  I couldn’t form words. That was what I wanted for him, right? To move on? That’s what I wanted to do—was trying to do? Wasn’t it?

  David didn’t say anything. He barely moved, waiting for my reaction. My words were like a knotted ball of thread, refusing to untangle.

  He’s asking for my permission to date someone. He’s asking if we’re over.

  “Um.” I cleared my throat and swallowed hard. “You should go. She’s nice, and you deserve to be happy.”

  “And you think that she’ll make me happy? Shit, Eva.” He sat silently beside me. It was an uncomfortable quiet. The kind that crackles with things left unsaid—and things said that shouldn’t have been. Memories rolled in my head. The same day. The same conversation, over and over. The one that changed everything. The one I wished I could forget, but was forever burned into my brain. “That’s it, then?” he asked finally.

  I swiped at a tear and nodded my head once. “Yeah, I think so. We’ll always be friends, David. I can’t imagine you not in my life. But, it’s not enough to build a lasting relationship on. When it came down to it… that day?” I swallowed hard, trying to push back the clog of tears in my throat. “In quarantine?” I wiped the side of my hand across my nose. “You needed me to give you something. I couldn’t. I needed you to understand why. You couldn’t. Or maybe it was that we wouldn’t. Too stupid, too stubborn, too whatever.” I looked at him. Unchecked tears ran down my cheeks. Giving him a small smile, I shrugged slightly. “I just don’t think—”

  “Are you seeing someone?” he asked around clenched teeth. His hands fisted.

  “I… there is—”

  “Yeah. Got it.” He ripped his jacket off the chair next to us. He didn’t bother to put it on. He just left, the door latching hard behind him.

  “What the hell am I doing?” I whispered in the empty room.

  And my tears threatened to drown me.

  “Can I come by Thursday night?”

  “You don’t need to ask.” I lowered my head and looked up at him through my lashes. Devlin gave me his half grin that made my heart do somersaults.

  “Good to know.” He reached out and smoothed a lock of my hair behind my ear, letting his fingers trail down the side of my neck. I shivered and his gaze locked on mine, my lips parted and my tongue darted out to moisten them. “Hmm,” he cleared his throat and let his hand fall away. “Um, can you ask David to be there, too?”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “Oh. Kinky, but okay.” Devlin laughed and cupped my cheek with his hand, rubbing his thumb over my bottom lip. “What’s up?” I searched his eyes.

  “I’ll tell you Thursday.”

  Ugh, I hate it when you do that! Just tell me something now, anything.

  “Next!” Junior called. Since the restriction was put into place forbidding the districts to have contact with one another, we’d found ways to circumvent the rule. Today we met at the grocery. Two days ago it was the Library. “Next!” he called again.

  “That’s you.” Devlin tapped my cart. “I’ll see you Thursday.”

  Devlin didn’t waste time. As soon as he got to my house Thursday, he blurted, “I’m leaving.” He towered over me in my little kitchen. Between him and David, my house felt like a miniature dollhouse.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  Devlin leaned his back against the door and looked up at the ceiling for a beat. “There are no supplies coming into the village. All our livestock has been destroyed, and it’s getting too cold for gardens. We’re going to slowly starve. I have Jessica to think about. I’m going hunting. There’s a test kit to determine if an animal is infected or not. A scientist at the medical center got his hands on one and was able to duplicate it. I can use it to make sure the meat I bring home is virus free.”

  I shook my head. “Devlin, if you get caught—”

  “I can’t think about that. I have to provide for Jessica. Eva, if something were to happen to me, will you take care of her?”

  “You know I will, but you need to think about this. You are all she has left.”

  “Give me the test kit. I’ll go. I’m a better shot than you and I don’t have anyone holding me back.” David’s gaze darted in my direction.

  “You’re not a better shot with a bow and that’s what I’ll have to use. A rifle will alert the military that someone is out roaming around, and they’ll keep a closer watch on the fence. I need them to get lazy so I can slip in and out without them noticing. That means hunting quietly.”

  “When?” I doodled on the tabletop with my finger.

  “Saturday.”

  I nodded. “Jessica can come home with me after school and spend the night. You can stop by when you get back Saturday night and pick her up. And, Devlin?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I expect you to be back.”

  Be careful.

  He was walking out the door; he looked at me over his shoulder and grinned. “Of course.”

  Friday came and went and soon it was Saturday evening.

  “Where do you think he is?” Jessica asked for the hundredth time.

  “He’ll be here when it’s dark enough to cross the meadow.”

  Twenty minutes later Jessica looked out the window. “Do you think it’s dark enough for him to cross yet?”

  “No. If you can see the house across the street it’s not dark enough. When it’s so dark you can’t see that house anymore, then he should be soon.”

  The minutes ticked by. I was calm. Then an hour went by and another, then another. I started pacing from room-to-room. It was completely black outside. My neighbors’ lights were out. The streetl
ights were turned off. There was no reason Devlin couldn’t move about freely. I was pacing from the kitchen back into the living room for the thousandth time, when I heard the hinges of my back door creak open.

  “Devlin,” Jessica squealed. She jumped from the couch and ran to him. “Eww, gross, you need a shower.”

  “Good to see you to, kid. Hi, Eva.” One side of his mouth lifted and my heart beat a little faster, and my belly clenched.

  “Did you catch anything?” Jessica looked outside.

  “Of course. I already took it home. I’ll bring some by for you tomorrow,” he told me.

  “You don’t need to do that.”

  “I want to. C’mon, Jessica. Let’s get home. Thanks, Eva. Um, next weekend? Would you mind?”

  “No, that’s fine, but you need to be careful.” I grabbed his hand and squeezed softly.

  “Yes, Mom.” He skimmed his lips over my knuckles and winked.

  “Ha freakin’ ha.”

  Sunday morning I stood on David's porch, alternating between ringing the door bell, and pounding on the door until my hands hurt. “David!” I rang the doorbell… again. Then banged on the door with both fists… again. I was punching the doorbell when he opened the door.

  “What?” He stood in the doorway in just a pair of sweat pants.

  “Devlin didn’t come back from his hunt last night.”

  David scratched the back of his head and asked, “How do you know?” around a yawn.

  “Jessica stayed with me.”

  “You’re sure he was supposed to be back last night?”

  “Yes, I’m sure,” I snapped.

  “Okay, there’s not much we can do today. I’ll wander by the front gate and see if he’s there. Maybe he just couldn’t get through. If he’s there, we’ll know he’s okay and he’ll be home tonight. If he’s not, I’ll get ready and go look for him. Do you know where he’s hunting?

  “If he listened to me, I do, but this is Devlin we’re talking about.”

  David scrubbed his hands up and down his face. “Yeah, he has a bigger stubborn streak than you do.” he said with a chuckle.

  Devlin wasn’t by the front gate. David tried to slip through the fence that night to go look for him, but it was too well guarded.

  “See. Devlin isn’t gonna try to come through when the fence is guarded like it is. He’s fine. He’s just sitting somewhere waiting it out,” I told Jessica, smoothing her hair down her back.

  “Then why doesn’t he come to the front fence so we know he’s okay?” Jessica wiped her tears with the backs of her hands and sniffed.

  “Because Roy and Juan screwed up when they did that.” David pulled her into a hug. “People saw them and know they’re locked out. Now Roy and Juan can’t risk coming back inside the village. They don’t know who they can trust not to tell the military. So they have to stay out. Your brother doesn’t want anyone to know he’s out of the compound, so he’s lying low somewhere out of sight.”

  Makes sense. Devlin’s smart, he has this under control. God, please let him have this under control.

  It was the third day of Devlin’s disappearance. It was a rainy, foggy night, and David and I used the cover to sneak to George and Tiff’s house. George, worked with Devlin at the Clinic, and we hoped he had some new information about the vaccine, or had heard something about Devlin.

  “There’s a test for animals. It tells us if the animal is a carrier of the virus or not,” George said. The four of sat around the kitchen table.

  “Yeah, Devlin told us. Too bad there isn’t any livestock left to test.” David said quietly.

  “Then we can send out hunting parties and test what the hunters bring back.” I took a bite of the brownie Tiffany made. “Finally, some good news,” I said around the chocolaty awesomeness.

  “Nope. The military isn’t opening the village to hunters. So the test doesn’t do us much good.” George spun his glass of water on the table.

  “This test for the animals, it’s what Devlin was using? How does it work?” David asked.

  “Yeah, it’s the same test. You need some bodily fluids. It can be saliva, but blood works best. Why?”

  David ran his thumb over his eyebrow and let out a breath. “Can you get me what I need to administer it?”

  “I can try. Why?” George asked again.

  “I’m going,” David stood.

  I thought he meant we were leaving for home. I was shocked by the next words out of his mouth.

  “I’ll look for Devlin, and then take off to Area-One. I figure I can make it in a week if I can find cars with enough gas along the way. I’ll get some of the vaccine and the feed they’re giving the animals and bring it back. Hopefully our scientists will be able to replicate it.”

  “No way!” I stood up and glared at him.

  “Eva, it’s the only thing we can do. The government isn’t going to help. They’re holed up with their medical teams, and all the vaccine they need, while we’re on lock down. It’s getting colder. The gardens are dying. What happens when winter blows through? With no meat and no supplies coming in we’ll slowly starve. Someone has to go.”

  “But it doesn’t have to be you!” I set my drink down a little too hard and lemonade splashed over the top onto the table.

  We’d done the zombie thing before—when we left the PODs. We fought through them then. It was horrible. Deadly. I couldn’t stand to do it again.

  “Who else?” David held his arms out. “I don’t see anyone volunteering.”

  “I’ll see what I can do about the tests. At least you’ll be able to hunt along the way. If an animal tests clean, you’ve got dinner. If not, you’ll be protected.” George looked down at his hands before glancing at me, and then looking at David with a frown. “Be warned, though. If you come across an infected animal—not just a carrier, but an infected animal—get the hell outta the way. If it infects you, it’s a death sentence. There’s no cure. And… we aren’t sure what this strain does to humans.”

  “Understood.” David grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. “We need to go. I’ll be back tomorrow to get the test kit.”

  “See you then.” George closed the door behind us.

  “What are you doing?” I asked quietly.

  “I’ve done it before. I can do it again.”

  “Exactly. You’ve done it before. It’s someone else’s turn now, David. Not yours.”

  Not again. I can’t go through it again.

  “I’ve got news for you; no one else wants a turn.” He pulled me along behind him, through the meadow.

  “You’re not going.”

  “I am.”

  We snuck over to George and Tiffany’s house the next night. “Hey, Eva,” Tiff said when she opened the door. “Too stubborn for his own good, huh?”

  “That’s for sure.”

  “It’s like testing pool water,” George explained. “Take a little of the blood, use a stick or a leaf but don’t touch it with your bare hands. I’ve brought you some gloves, but there might not be enough. Anyway, take a drop of blood and put three drops of the solution on it. If it turns black, you have an infected animal. If nothing happens, you’re good to go.”

  David nodded once and slapped George on the back. “Thanks, man.”

  “I need to get some supplies today,” David said the next afternoon.

  “You can’t be obvious. And have you thought about what you’re going to tell the school?”

  “I quit?” he said with a crooked grin.

  I laughed. “I don’t think that will work even with that cute grin.” I put a finger on each cheek and twisted, giving him an exaggerated grin.

  The village didn’t have unemployment. Everyone had an assigned job. You could apply for another position if one became available, but every able bodied adult worked. No exceptions.

  “I’m going to use my sick and mental health days.”

  “That doesn’t even give you two weeks, David. What then?”

  �
��I plan to be back. There’ll be cars, and if I can find gas, I’ll be able to make the trip in less than two weeks.”

  “And if not? It’s hard to find cars now. The military has cleaned them up and drained them of gas.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek.

  “I’ll figure something out. You can say I have the measles or some contagious shit like that. It’ll buy me another few days. I can’t worry about that now,” he waved it off like it was a nonissue. “I need a list or I’ll forget something for sure.”

  I grabbed a notepad and pen. “Okay.”

  “Candles, matches, canned meats, rice—”

  “A brain,” I muttered.

  “Eva,” he sighed.

  “Fine. What else?”

  He rattled off a bunch of things while I wrote them down, and committed them to memory. I’d be buying the same things the second he left.

  “You know, we could split the list. I could go to the sporting goods store, and you to the grocery.” I held my breath. If I could get him to agree, I could buy double of everything on the list, and be ready to leave as soon as he did.

  “That’ll work.” He nodded.

  I silently let out the breath I was holding. “Okay, um, get twice as much as you think you’ll need. Jessica and I can use it while you’re gone, especially the canned meat and soup.”

  “Okay.”

  Once in town, I made my way to the sporting goods shop “Wait here for me when you’re done,” David told me before walking on to the grocery store.

  “‘Kay.”

  I had no intention of waiting for him. I hurried inside and flew through the store grabbing everything on the list—in double.

  “Going camping,” the clerk asked with a frown.

  “Yeah, as soon as the village is opened David and I are going,” I said with a big smile, trying to look excited.

  “Gettin’ kinda cold to be camping,” he said, writing down my purchases.

  “Yeah, I’m hoping things get back to normal soon or we’ll miss our chance.”

  “Normal. That’d be nice. I’d just like to know what’s going on. I mean, what’s up with all the military and the lock-down?” He prattled on while he wrote up my bill. I was glad for the change in subject. The less we talked about me and David, and our plans, the better.