Dead Of Winter (The Rift Book II) (41 page)

“I see.”

Dr. Terry examined him. When finished he stood up and wobbled to the door. “We’ll start tomorrow,” he said

“Why tomorrow?”

“You’re fatigued. Being down there in the cold and dampness can do that to you. You need your rest. This may take quite a few sessions, if it works at all. You’re going to need your strength. There are a couple boxes of crackers and a few cans of peaches in the plastic bag on the windowsill. Eat all of it and then get some sleep. I’ll be back to get you in the morning.”

With that Dr. Terry left the room. Billy thought about getting up and doing as the doctor ordered but his tired body told him to lie down. He obeyed his natural instinct instead and placed his head on his pillow, listening to the constant murmurs of the dead wandering outside the window.

In a matter of seconds he was fast asleep.

*
 
 
*
 
 
*

A knock at the door woke him. Billy muttered, flipped over, and ignored it. The knocking came once more. He sat up and yawned.

“Come in,” he mumbled.

The door opened and in walked a tall, familiar-looking black man. It was
Leon
. He carried with him a pitcher of orange juice and a glass. His face was a mask of indifference while he maneuvered through the room with purposeful strides. It was the first time Billy had seen him up close and he marveled at his beauty.
Leon
had wide cheekbones and thick lips. His eyes sparked with intensity.

“Hello,” Billy said.

Leon
didn’t answer. Instead he placed the pitcher and glass on the end table, peeked at the windowsill, where the crackers and peaches remained in their bag, untouched, and frowned. He looked at Billy, directly, for the first time.

“John told you to eat up. You didn’t.”

Billy furrowed his brow. “John?”

“Dr. Terry.”

“Oh, yes. I apologize. I have been quite tired. I must have passed out.”

The younger man scowled. “You want to help the girl? You have to take care of yourself.” He snatched the peaches out of the bag and threw them at him, a bit too hard. With his reflexes still stiffened from sleep Billy barely got his hand up before the can struck him in the face. He raised his eyebrows at
Leon
, cracked open the can, and ate a slice.

The peaches were sticky, sweet, and delicious, and Billy cursed himself for not eating them earlier. He could already feel his energy returning as he greedily sucked down slice after slice until they were gone.

“Sugar,” said
Leon
, leaning against the windowsill, watching him.

“What of it?”

“You were sugar deficient, that’s why you’re so tired. I told John – Dr. Terry – to keep you weakened while you waited in the cage.
Just in case the worst happened.”

Billy cocked his head. “Do you really think that would have made a difference?”

“It might or it might
not’ve
,”
Leon
said with a shrug. “But just in case it did, I owed it to everyone to err on the side of caution.”

“That makes sense.”

“Of course it does.”

Leon
stood up. His massive shoulders arched back as he walked, proudly, across the room. “Now eat up,” he said. “And follow orders this time.”

“
Leon
, wait,” Billy said. The young man stopped in his tracks.

“What?”

Billy reached over, snatched the signed copy of
The New Kingdom
from the nightstand, and tossed it to his visitor.
Leon
caught it. He held it in by his side and grimaced.

“You forgot your book,” said Billy.

For too long
Leon
just stood there, his eyes going from the book in his hand to Billy and then back again. Every so often he would open his mouth as if to speak only to snap it shut before words came out. Billy recognized the expression he carried, the inner conflict the young man felt, and ended his torment by speaking first.

“I am sorry I disappointed you, son,” he said.

This seemed to weaken
Leon
. His shoulders slumped and his head wobbled from side to side as he ran a hand through his close-cropped hair. After a moment’s hesitation he walked to the bed and sat down on the edge.

“You were no different,” he said, his back to Billy.

“Different from
who
?”

Leon
peered over his shoulder with a squinting glare. “From any other
gangbanger
I ever met,” he said.

Billy grimaced but spoke in his usual calm tone.
“In what way?”

“You shot the kid.
Right in the face, right in front of the courthouse.”

“I did. And he deserved what he received.”

“Bullshit,”
Leon
gasped. He spun around on the bed and faced him. “I don’t care what the guy did. I don’t care what he did to that girl. When you pulled that trigger you were no better than he was.
The lowest of the low.”

“Maybe,” replied Billy. “However, I do not see how that would have mattered to you.”

The young man’s face dropped in exacerbation. “
What?
Are you serious? For a smart man you’re incredibly stupid. I looked
up
to you, man. You were a hero to a whole generation of kids just like me, kids who grew up with nothing. You preached fighting the war for equality with talent, intelligence, and hard work. Hell, for a lot of us you were as important as Doctor King. But then…you gave it all away. Shooting that kid? It proved everything you wrote about, everything you ever said, was bullshit.”

Billy’s heart dropped like a sunken tanker. For the first time, when he saw the face of Arthur
Sweetney
, his old teacher, in his mind, that face stared back in disgust. He found it amazing that five minutes alone with this young man had done what more than a decade in prison could not. It humbled him.

“I am sorry, son,” he said. “I never thought of the effect it could have on the outside world. I only thought of myself.”

Leon
seemed taken aback by his reaction. His appearance softened and he stared at him with a look that bordered on compassion. “Uh,
it’s
okay, Mr. Mathis,” he said.

“No, it is not. I have failed you. I have failed everyone.”

“Is this why you feel like you have to save the girl?”

Billy shrugged. “I never thought of it that way before this moment, but yes, I suppose that has been the case all along.”

From then on out things went a bit smoother. They talked for some time and never during their conversation did Billy lapse into the role of lecturer. He let the dialogue flow smoothly, personally, in a way he’d never done before in all his life. He told
Leon
of his childhood – the
hardest
stories, not those the public knew about – and listened when
Leon
spoke of his own. Before long they were laughing together. Billy felt ashamed that he’d never let someone
inside
like that before. He made a mental note to do the same with Christopher the next time he saw him. The boy deserved at least that much.

When they parted company
Leon
again ordered him to eat up because the procedure would begin after dinner tomorrow. Billy said his goodbyes. When the door closed behind the young man and he found himself alone, he sat cross legged on the bed and quickly downed everything before him. He wished he had his bag and notebook with him, for
these
were the types of revelations that deserved to be written down.

*
 
 
*
 
 
*

Christopher wandered through the Omni’s crowded lobby. There were people everywhere. Most of them gathered in the candlelit lounge, some having drinks, some playing games, most just socializing. It was like a huge party, as if the growing mass of undead lingering outside their walls of brick, mortar, and steel were figments of their imagination.

He started to understand how they could feel this way. As he progressed through the hall folks on all sides slapped his back and wished him well. The smiles on their faces, the nice words that came from their mouths, were infectious. He stopped at a table where some younger individuals sat. They didn’t seem much older than he, and when he joined them for a drink – his first one ever, because at fourteen the act of drinking liquor hadn’t been exactly commonplace – it felt as if he’d been a part of their group forever. Thoughts of Mister Mathis, who he’d made a point of avoiding, never entered his mind.

One girl at the table drew his eye. Her name was Melissa and she was a short, pretty girl in her early twenties with straight blonde hair that became a few shades darker when it reached the ends. She had a tiny nose and puffy lips. When she smiled her head tilted to the side, as if every grin was in response to the cutest thing she’d ever seen. Her beauty and openness drew him in. His stare never left her, and she kept brushing her hair off her shoulder suggestively. Once she leaned forward while laughing with one of her friends and he was awarded the sight of her ample cleavage. Heat erupted in his abdomen. He blushed. She glanced his way, squeezed her arms together, and winked at him sideways. Christopher just about lost it right then and there.

When things simmered down enough for him to stand up without embarrassment he excused himself from the table. Forrest and a few of his ex-cop buddies ran through the lobby. They looked worried. He heard one of them say something about reinforcing the back door. No one else paid them any mind, however. Christopher fought the urge to follow them, to see what was wrong, to help. He decided it best to stay where he was and forget the whole scene like everyone else.
After all, if the zombies get in here we’re all goners. Just don’t think about it.

But think about it he did.

For the first time in a couple days he thought of the teacher upstairs. Whispers of his apparent immunity to the Rodent Flu had made their way through the facility. Most didn’t know who Mr. Mathis was and even fewer knew of the plans for the dying girl upstairs, but Christopher did, and as he sat there mulling over the dangers surrounding them, though he was still angry at the thoughtlessness of Mr. Mathis’ decision, he closed his eyes and whispered a silent
thank you
to whatever mythical deity had been watching out for the stubborn, brilliant man he called friend.

He wandered through the lobby, weaving through random gatherings of chatting people, and approached the barricaded front entrance. He didn’t know exactly what drew him there – it could’ve been the contemplation of what would happen in the hotel if Forrest and his buddies didn’t succeed in strengthening the rear door – but it didn’t matter. All he knew was that
he needed to see.
He ducked underneath the ropes that barred folks from getting too close and drew near to the doors.