Charged (14 page)

I peer from between the trees. It’s a typical one road small town, with all of the businesses lining the main drag. We have a good vantage point, something I tried to plan, though I can’t make out anyone on the street. “It looks clear.” I whisper to Mason. “Stay close, and try not to make any noise.”

He nods. We make a good team, Mason staying right behind me, matching me neurotic move for neurotic move. We make our way to the gas station without incident, but part of me still waits for someone to jump out, guns blazing.

“Where the hell is everybody?” Mason asks, when it’s very clear that we’re all alone.

“I’m not sure.” I tell him. This bothers me. And now that I really think about it, we haven’t come across anyone from an infected area. I thought maybe we’ve been lucky, sticking to back roads, but now I’m beginning to think it must be something more. “Let’s fill the can, get back to the Jeep. We can drive here and fill up, too. I’d like to be well past here when night falls.” This whole ghost town thing is getting creepier by the minute.

We move quickly. I can tell Mason is freaked out too, his eyes constantly looking around us for signs of trouble. By the time we reach the Jeep, I am deeply disturbed by the lack of survivors around. What good is my ability to push back the infection, if there’s no one left to save?

By the time darkness falls, we’ve left the ghost town far behind. I wish I could say the same about my concerns, though. And to make matters worse, something I’ve been trying very hard to keep to myself, I’m starting to feel kind of drained. Every time I start to feel a little better it’s time to throw another energy sphere. Not that I really have a perfect formula for it, and I much rather throw too many than too few, my own personal welfare be damned.

I’d rather not endanger everyone by admitting I need to stop again. And I really don’t want to worry Mason, because he insisted I recharge when we stopped for gas, and I’m sure he’ll notice how quickly that charge has run out. Add in traveling for the past however many hours and lack of a decent night’s sleep for a couple days, and I’m practically dead on my feet.

Mason is driving. Brie, Jared and Baby bear are all curled up in the backseat, snoring softly. We can’t get any stations to come through over the radio, but the Jeep came fully equipped with a 6 disc changer. I have to admit it’s an eclectic mix, though I settle on Mumford and Sons to quietly play
as we drive through the night.

Eventually the music lulls me to sleep, sleep I desperately need. This sleep provides no rest, though. Instead, it’s filled with dreams from my subconscious that I refuse to process while I’m awake. Swirling images of fallen men and empty towns fill my mind, until I’m pulled out by someone shaking my shoulder.

“Kat, Kat, wake up.” Mason whispers. I open my eyes, and realize I have tears streaming down my face. “You’re having a nightmare.”

I wipe at my face, feeling my cheeks redden, happy it’s hard to see with just the dim lights on the dashboard. “Sorry.” I mutter sheepishly.

Mason glances at me quickly before returning his attention to the road. “There’s nothing to be sorry about, Kat.” He says softly, soothingly. “You don’t always have to be tough, you know, especially with me. That’s kind of my job.”

I soften, and maybe it’s because I’m so sleep deprived, I can’t help but answer truthfully. “If I stop being tough, Mason,
I think I may just fall apart.”

He reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Well, I’ll be here to put you back together if you do.” He says this with so much ferocity that I have no choice but to believe him, and I do.

I smile my first real smile in days, and I’m rewarded with a smile from Mason, too. Was it really just such a short time ago that this was normal? Our horrific adventure has brought us closer, sure, but what I wouldn’t give for a carefree afternoon where the two of us had nothing better to do than sit around and laugh. Maybe one day we’ll be able to do that again. This thought gives me a tiny iota of hope as I drift back off to sleep.

The sound of hushed whispers from Mason, Brie and Jared wake me up. I stretch, and it takes me a moment to hear the anxiety in their tone. Mason pulls the Jeep over, tucking most of it into the brush, out of sight.

“What’s going on?” I ask, confused.

“People,” Mason answers softly, “The first people we’ve seen, since…”

“Oh,” I frown, seeing the dilemma. “What do you guys want to do?”

I see Brie’s eyes widen. Jared notices, too. “We can stay here.” He tells her reassuringly.

I nod. “That okay with you?” I ask Mason.

“Yeah,” Mason agrees. “Should we bring the gun this time?”

“No, leave it here. I don’t want to make it seem like we’re looking for trouble.”

Mason hands the gun to Jared, who climbs into the front seat with Brie as soon as we get out. Brie squeezes my hand before I walk away. “Be careful.” She whispers.

“Always,” I promise her.

“So, I take it we’re not going stealth this time?” Mason asks as we walk.

“I don’t know. I want to see what’s going on, but I don’t want to freak anybody out, you know, if things are normal here.”

“Let’s just walk up. If we have to get out of there, well, we’ll figure it out then.”

I nod, but I know what he means. If they are all nuts, then I have to zap them. I’m not crazy about this option, although I suppose it’s better than any alternatives. Is it too much to hope that maybe these could be nice, normal people?

Mason and I walk, hand in hand, down the dirt lane. We round the corner and I finally see them. For all intents and purposes, they appear to be perfectly normal. It looks like a family, an older couple and their teenage daughter. Their backs are to us, so they don’t notice us yet. I look at Mason and shrug.

“Hello?” I call out to them. They go from normal, to threatening in about one second, as they turn and we notice the father aiming a shotgun at us.

Mason and I raise our hands automatically. “We don’t mean any trouble. We’re just passing through.”

The father steps in front of his wife and daughter. “We haven’t seen any people come from that way in days. How do I know you’re not infected?”

“Well, sir, as I understand it, I’d have a nasty rash and high fever, neither of which we do.”

Mason seems to have this situation under control, so I keep my mouth shut. I focus on the wife and daughter.

“You could be looters.” I can hear in the father’s voice that he’s running out of accusations.

“We’re just trying to get to Columbus. We’ve been running ahead of the infection for days now.”

The man grunts. “What’s in Columbus?”

“We have to meet a scientist there, to give him information and samples so we can try to stop this.” I explain, glad to join in the conversation.

Finally, the man lowers his gun. We take a few cautious steps closer. I still have my eye on the mother and daughter, and the closer we get, the more I realize that the daughter doesn’t look very well.

“Is she alright?” I ask, trying to keep the fear from my voice.

“She’s fine.” The mom snaps, “Just fine.”

“Don’t mind her, she gets defensive easily.” The father says. “I’m John, this is Lisa and our daughter, Rachel.”

“I’m Mason, and this is Kat.” I see him look at me, and I know his silent question. I shake my head minutely. I don’t want to bring Brie or Jared into this yet.

“You might as well come along, I suppose, our house is just around the next bend.” John says.

“Thanks,” Mason takes my hand again, and we follow them down the lane.

We are almost to their front door, when Rachel’s hair shifts off of her neck, over her shoulder. I don’t say anything, as fear freezes my blood. Her neck is covered in a rash. She’s in the first stages of infection.

I nudge Mason with my elbow. One look at his face tells me he’s seen, it too. We go inside, Lisa taking Rachel immediately upstairs. John motions for us to follow him into the kitchen.

“So like I said, you’re the first people we’ve seen come from the east. Hell, up until yesterday I thought we were going to have to evacuate  ourselves, but then the fog started pushing back, just before it reached us. It was amazing to watch.” John settles in a chair.

I can’t help but notice that they have power at their house. It probably wouldn’t hurt to recharge while I have the chance. I ask to use the bathroom, in hopes that there’s an outlet I can use. John directs me down the hall.

It doesn’t take me long before I return to the kitchen. Lisa is back now, too. She’s visibly upset. I can’t imagine what she must be feeling. If only I could be sure of not hurting Rachel, I’d offer to try to help. But it’s also not exactly something I can come right out with. ‘Oh, hey, I happen to be able to zap the nanobots out of things. I can’t control it very well yet, but I could try to zap your daughter, and hopefully not kill her.’ Um, no.

I notice Lisa go down the hallway, and I follow her. Very softly, I ask, “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

She seems to immediately understand the double meaning to my question. Her eyes tear up and she looks at the floor. “I doubt it, but thank you.”

I nod. Again, my mind toys with the idea. Do I dare? What choice could possibly be the right one? The more rational part of my brain is screaming at me to take Mason and run, before we can get infected. I take my internal debate back into the kitchen with me.

“We have a couple more people with us, and a Jeep. You’ll hear us drive by shortly after we leave.” Mason explains, “I don’t want you to get freaked out when you hear it.”

“Thanks for the warning.” John smiles, “I’d feel bad if I shot you for no reason. Listen, it seems kind of important that you get where you’re going. I have a can of gas out in the garage, if it will help your cause.”

“It certainly would, thank you.” Mason answers. I’m still arguing with myself.

“How long, do you think it will take, if they find a cure I mean?” My gaze flies to John’s face as he asks.

“We don’t know.” Mason says glumly.

I just can’t stand it anymore. “If there was…something we could do, something that
might
work, would you want to try it, even if it could be potentially dangerous?” I keep my voice low.

I know that Mason’s staring at me. Maybe it’s not the smartest idea I’ve had, maybe it’s the guilt I feel for killing those men, but I can’t do nothing for Rachel. That would make me a monster, too.

John’s gaze is now locked on mine. “I suppose I would want to try it, if there was something we could do. It has to be better than the alternative.”

We are all silent for a moment while we consider this. It’s Lisa, who none of us noticed come back into the room, that breaks the silence. “Please, if you can help her, do it. We’ve seen what happens, on TV.” Her voice breaks and she’s not able to continue.

Finally, I look at Mason, and see the understanding in his eyes. “I can’t make any guarantees.” I tell the couple.

“We understand.” John says, standing. He leads us upstairs, to Rachel’s room. I turn in the hall before her doorway.

“I think I should do this alone.” I tell Mason. I don’t know if it will work, and I don’t want him that close to the infection.

He moves back to the top of the stairs and sits down. “I’ll be right here.” I can read the anxiety on his face.